The Sun's Final Light
by Dark Side of Eden
Summary: Hearts can be warm and loving, but when tested, some turn out to be as cold as ice. A kind young kit is born, but because of her difference from her clanmates, she is outcast and mistreated. But a prophecy carries with her and the Clans' coldness may threaten to put out her light, and destroy all four clan's final hope. For the last dawn is upon them.
1. BOOK 1: Skies of Color

Warrior cats:

The Sun's Finale Light:

Book one: Skies of Color

Cloudclan Cats:

Leader: Honeystar\- A long legged, thick furred, golden she-cat with green eyes, sister of Acornstep.

Deputy: Leafwhisker\- A light brown tom with white dapples and green eyes, brother of Willowrain.

Medicine cat: Speckledove-A gray-white she-cat with darker flecks and blue eyes, sister of Drizzlefur.

Warriors:

Marigoldlight\- A light gold she-cat with yellow eyes, sister of Acornstep and Honeystar.

Brackenheart\- A dusky brown tom, brother of Goldenhazel and Yarrowfeather, mate of Rosetail.

Goldenhazel\- A light brown she-cat with gold eyes, sister of Yarrowfeather and Brackenheart.

Berrymist\- A gray she-cat with round, blue eyes, sister of Dewnose, mate of Leafwhisker.

Dewnose\- A light gray, white spotted, tom with dark blue eyes, brother of Berrymist, mate of Duskbird.

Yarrowfeather\- A husky, yellow eyed, brown tom with broad shoulders, brother of Brackenheart.

Drizzlefur\- A dark gray tom with black speckles and dark blue eyes, brother of Speckledove.

Fogeye\- A dull, faintly gray, white tom with blue eyes one eye is cloudy, brother of Azuregaze.

Azuregaze\- A pure white she-cat with brilliant blue eyes, is partially deaf, sister of Fogeye.

Duskbird\- A blue-gray she-cat with brown stripes and gold eyes, mother of Brookpaw and Fireflypaw.

Littleleap\- A small, dusky, brown tabby tom with no tail, brother of Tansyblossom.

Tawnyrobin\- A dark brown tabby she-cat with a tawny crimson-brown chest, sister of Rosetail.

Tansyblossom\- A light brown tabby she-cat with green eyes and no tail, sister of Littleleap.

Acornstep\- A gold-brown, thick furred, tom with broad shoulders and amber eyes, Brother of Honeystar and Marigoldlight, mate of Willowrain, birth-father of Walnutkit, Dawnkit, and Cottonkit.

Apprentices:

Brookpaw\- A gray-blue tom with brown eyes, son of Duskbird. Mentor- Leafwhisker

Fireflypaw\- An albino she-cat with yellow eyes, daughter of Duskbird. Mentor- Marigoldlight

Queens:

Willowrain\- A light brown she-cat with darker speckles and blue eyes, mate of Acornstep, mother of Walnutkit- a gold tom with brown speckles and almond colored eyes, Cottonkit- a light brown she-kit with white dapples and green eyes, Birth-mother of Dawnkit.

Rosetail\- A dark brown tabby she-cat with deep crimson eyes and a lighter, tawny tail, mother of

Turtlekit- a dark brown tabby tom with green eyes and a black underbelly and a "half-sized" tail,

Fawnkit- A light brown he-kit with white speckles and cherry colored eyes with a stump tail,

Tadpolekit- A black tom with green eyes and a short, "half-sized" tail.

Foster-Mother of, Dawnkit- a cream colored she-kit with a white underbelly and paws and azure eyes.

Elders:

Bluestripe\- An old gray she-cat with white spots and a gray-blue stripe down her back.

Barkjaw\- An old dark brown tom with a black underbelly and lower jaw, grandfather of Rosetail.

Bramblefoot\- An old orange tabby tom with a twisted foot.


	2. 1: Prologue

Prologue:

Dawnpaw padded silently through the damp, shadowed marsh, the excitement of the journey rushing through her blood. She was tired of being confined to the inner territory of Cloudclan, always being hidden for what she was, but she felt that whatever she may look like or be able to do means nothing if you're all the same at heart, all just cats. This is the only reason she worked up the nerve to pass the territory line into the neighboring clan's territory.

The marsh ground was wet and soft under-paw, she felt the mucky floor squish between her toes and grimaced, stepping out of the low water line for a drier spot and found her leg sinking into the mud. Dawnpaw muffled a yowl of surprise and heaved her leg out of the thick sludge, the mud made a sucking noise and the hole where her leg had been collapsed inwards. She snorted with disgust at the layer of muck on her leg and hastily rubbed it off in the murky water. Keeping herself low, so that she wouldn't be spotted, she trudged out of the marsh to the undergrowth-less shade of the dark, sharp scented pines.

Usually her creamy fur would blend in well with the heather and gorse of her territory's fields or the bracken and undergrowth of the woodland there also, but here Dawnpaw didn't have the dark-pelt necessary to hunt. _Or hide,_ she gulped. But she pushed on forward, near the edge of the territory, with the walls of the mountains that surrounded the valley barely visible through the thick forest of pines.

Suddenly the forest gave way and she crawled next to the bright sunlight of a clearing. Underneath a holly-bush, Dawnpaw opened her jaws to scent for a patrol. With only the scent of pines and cool air on her tongue, she stood up and entered into the golden glow of the sun.

Dawnpaw let out a sigh of relief as she felt the warm rays stroke her back and fill her with a sparking energy. It surprised herself how much she actually missed it. Tilting up her head she saw the endless expanse of sky ahead of her. The pure ocean of azure was only tainted by a few cotton tufts of cloud scattered among it. But what amazed her the most was the wall of stones, jaggedly pointing upward towards the eternal horizon.

The mountainous wall seemed to touch the same clear sky, and then Dawnpaw realized she could see a patch of clouds drifting between two peeks. _It's amazing!_ Never had she seen the mountain walls up so close confined to the inner territory of Cloudclan.

The light filled hollow was flanked on one side by the ginormous mass of gray, and on the other, the shadow covered forest. But as Dawnpaw's gaze drifted down from the mountainous wall, she only saw one thing.

In the center of the clearing stood a gigantic boulder the shape of a tooth erect towards the sky, its sides were jagged and the top was a thin point with a broken cap, making the summit flat. The "tooth-rock" reached above the tall pines but looked tiny compared to the mountains that Dawnpaw assumed it came from.

"What a view I could see from up there..." her words seemed to trail off as she remembered the memory of the view of her territory, she hadn't gone very high, but she thought she could see to the edges of the world. She remembered the feeling of freedom and the wind in her fur, but along with it shed the memories of her clanmates looking up with fear and worry in their eyes worry not for her but for if the other clans saw her. Along with those emotions came others, ones that she was used to. Anger, fear, and disgust. The clan ordered her never to do it again, the voices of the moments filled Dawnpaw's head. _Why doesn't she just go, no one wants that freak here! It's unnatural for cat to do that, much less want to! She's just a burden to the clan, when she is old enough we should make her leave, for good!_

The remarks stung at her chest, making it ache, and the all-but-distant memories of the painful glances and glares made her look down at her paws _. I won't do anything they told me not to do, I'll just be up there for a second and then come back home._ Shoving the feelings to the back of her mind, Dawnpaw trotted over to the erected stone.

Easily, Dawnpaw found paw holds and she began her assent. Going upwards she only lost her footing twice, each time regaining balance afterward. Feeling the wind blowing from around the other side of the boulder growing stronger with every heave towards the top excited her. The wind only brought up her spirits, a yearning that she had been feeling in her heart, finally, so close to fulfilling, even if only for a minute. At what felt like long last, her pink and gray dimpled pads brushed the smooth surface of the summit, and with some digging of claws in the cracks of the stone, she hauled herself over the edge.

Wind battered Dawnpaw's face and she closed her clear blue eyes against it, squinting, she attempted to see past the strong air current. As soon as Dawnpaw got a glance she had to stretch her eyes wide to take in the glorious scenery, a gasp of amazement escaping her lips, the wind no longer a worry or care. Around her she could see all of the clan territories, colors of the dark green forest melted into the new-leaf green of the meadows beyond it. On the upper valley Cliffside, she could spot the pouring waterfalls running off the mountains in Rainclan, bright against its gray, stone covered territory. The gold fields of Cloudclan met and seemed to blur against the landscape of gray and spots of clover-green woods dotted along the course of the border. The blue streaks of rivers ran their course throughout all of it, meeting in the center in the form of a magnificent waterfall.

A gust of wind pushed Dawnpaw back, she dug her claws in the stone to stay on the ridge instead of plummeting downwards to the forest floor. She gazed around her, never wanting to see anything else ever again, but flicked an ear as she heard a faint yowl. Reluctantly, she looked towards the ground to see a small, blurred form of a cat. Its pelt was dark and the cat was no bigger than Dawnpaw. It yowled something more at her, its tail lashing.

Dawnpaw could make out only a few things, "Get down you- I'm warning- This isn't funny- could hurt yourself- are you a mouse-brain- I'll get a patrol- get you down! -"

She turned her head away from the cat and squealed in excitement as another gust bombarded her. The wind flew through her pelt, sending feelings, that she had sought for, coursing through her veins.

Exhilaration flooded throughout her, hitting her like waves with every heartbeat. But even though she felt like this, there was a peace that filled her chest. The wind and sky lifted any feelings of doubt or sorrow from her body, she felt as if she had no ties in the world, only an endless expanse of freedom like the calm, blue sky. Her paws tingled, she knew what she really wanted, she didn't even remember their words anymore, all pain and sadness seem as if it was a far off memory. She could go where ever she pleased, she was _free._

Closing her eyes, she took a step of into nothing but the thin air and let gravity pull her body down as she plummeted towards the earth.

From her sudden leap, a shocked yowl came from the cat below, filled with panic. But Dawnpaw didn't care, she didn't need to anymore. She felt as if she was floating on a beam of light, relishing in the sting on her cheeks as the quick air whizzed past her. She shot downwards, and about half way down the sharply risen boulder, Dawnpaw opened her wide, magnificent, tawny wings.

The wind pushed forcefully up against them, and she rocketed above the forest into the wide sea of blue. Dawnpaw could see, as she looked down, the cat on the forest floor's jaw hanging loosely with shock and awe. The dark greens pines of the forest blurred together as she flew up higher and higher. A beautiful feeling spread through her limbs and felt like it shone throughout every pore on her body. As Dawnpaw glided below the clouds, wind on her back, her breath seemed to catch in her throat, it was all so beautiful. _Yes,_ she knew, _this what I wanted all along._


	3. 1: Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A queen lay on her side on a bed of moss, the uneven stone walls of the den glowing with a warm sunlight from the entrance. The ivy that hung in front of the den opening swished as a brown tabby padded in, her deep crimson eyes stained with worry as another cat, light gray with darker speckles and blue eyes, followed her in.

The gray she-cat stepped over a brown, dappled queen whose eyes were shut against a fearsome pain. Leaning her head, she pressed an ear against the queen's wide stretched belly. The gray cat got up and nodded at the tabby that was now sitting in another nest nearby, her belly was also full with kits, but not so much as the moaning queen.

"You got me here right in time Rosetail, she's pretty far into the contractions," the light-brown queen moaned once more as her muscles contorted, sending a ripple over her midsection.

Rosetail looked down at her, "Willowrain told me she was just fine, but I went out to find you anyway. She's much worse than when I left her!"

The gray cat's blue gaze met her's, "It's a good thing you did, this came on much faster than I expected," she flicked her tail at the tabby, beckoning her to come over, "comfort her while I go get the herbs."

Rosetail stroked Willowrain's back with a paw, gently murmuring mews of encouragement into her ears. Soon the gray cat reemerged with jaws full of plants, she spread them out, muttering the names of each as she organized the bundles, "Chervil, Poppy seed, Juniper Berries, Raspberry leaves, Watermint..." Her voice trailed off and sadness reflected in her eyes, "Oh, Grasswing, you were such a good mentor, I wish you were here..."

She was interrupted by another moan from Willowrain, she managed to croak out a few words before another wave of pain hit her, "Speckledove... Where are my kits?"

"Coming, don't worry dear, you'll be fine," Speckledove spoke these words like a queen to a kit to sooth her, but in reality Speckledove was much younger than Willowrain, just a few moons older than an apprentice. She had barely been made a full medicine cat when Greencough hit just as leaf-bare was coming to an end. Many cats died, Tuskclaw, Snowfoot, Tigerkit, Spottedfern, and even her old mentor Grasswing, who had been working tirelessly to try to save these cats, even though he carried the same illness. In the end, he helped save many others, but not himself.

Speckledove chewed up the herbs and spat them onto a leaf, she slid it over with her paw and urged Willowrain to at least try to eat them. After a little while, the queen swallowed the pulp of the bitter herbs. Speckledove felt relief swell over her as she saw that the pain was edging away, but the contractions kept getting stronger.

"Now I need you to breath Willowrain, just concentrate on your breathing," the queen's muscles suddenly tightened and she gasped in pain, a wet bundle slid from between her legs. Rosetail quickly nipped the kitting sack and a tiny bundle of wet fur rolled out, she began to lick the pale-gold kit fiercely, rubbing its fur the wrong way until it let out a shrill squeak and set it down by its mother.

"It's a tom! He has gold fur like his father and your brown speckles! Oh Willowrain, he's so handsome!" a purr was rumbling from Rosetail's throat and Willowrain looked at her son proudly. Another spasm of pain hit her and her belly convulsed with contractions, Willowrain grunted and ground her teeth but let out a gasp as another wet bundle emerged. Soon enough, a little brown she-kit with tiny white splotches lay next to her brother, both suckling eagerly.

Speckledove nodded approvingly, but not just for Willowrain, but also for herself, her first successful kitting without her mentor Grasswing had gone well. Speckledove pricked her ears and alarm flashed through her pelt. From outside she heard screeches of fear and panic. Turning, she raced out of the nursery.

The clearing was dark and the air was as cold as winter, Speckledove felt confusion, she knew it was just sun-high a minute ago. Looking around, she saw all her clanmate's heads turned upwards towards the now blackened sky. Her gaze soon joined them and she pulled back her ears, her eyes stretched wide. The sun was gone.

Instead of the bright ball of light that was usually there every day, a dark round orb stood there, an orange and red ring of fire around it. She growled with fear and uncertainty, pressing herself to the soft, grassy clearing floor.

Cats were all out of their dens, the elders standing on the outside of their den's hole, one crouching inside. The two apprentices, Brookpaw and Fireflypaw, pressed close to their parents, Dewnose and Duskbird, Fireflypaw visibly shaking next to the fresh-kill pile with her family members. Berrymist strode up to her brother and mewed something, but Dewnose shook his head in reply and rested his chin on his mate. It seemed that every cat in the camp was outside, staring up at the sky, all but two, and they were in the nursery.

A panicked cat screeched with fear, "The sun has gone out! Starclan help us!" soon the whole clearing filled with fearful yowls. Suddenly, a certain yowl caught Speckledove's ear, it was not a scream of fear, but pain. To her horror she realized it was Willowrain's. _I thought that was the last of the kits!_ She raced into the nursery and found the queen yowling in agony, this one was much more painful than both of the other kits. With a final screech, the last kit slid out.

The walls behind them brightened once again with the light of the sun as the kit squeaked out for the first time. The golden rays hit the newborn kit, reflecting off its pelt in a brilliant display of color.

Speckledove stood there stiffly, eye's wide with awe. Words rang throughout her mind coming from a very familiar mew.

" _A time of darkness is on the horizon, a storm that is dwelling at the edge of fate for which every clan shall be intertwined. Only the very first light of the sun will finally put an end to it. But shadows can be just as strong as the brightest day, and if all fails, that light shall be the last, and a leaf-bare of darkness will run eternal."_

Speckledove looked up from the creamy colored kit, no more seeing the rays of colors, the kit was lying next to its siblings kneading the soft white underfur of their mother. In the corner of the den a faint outline of a brown tabby stood looking at her with his emerald eyes sparkling with stars.

"Grasswing?" Speckledove managed to choke out, but after she was barely done muttering his name he had already faded away, only light, star-like glitters floating away from where he had just stood.

Rosetail's voice brought her back to the situation, "Oh Willowrain, she has such pretty fur! Their all so beautiful! They will be the best warriors!" Willowrain had begun to clean each kit off, one by one, her eye's shining with pride. She stopped and lifted her head to reply to her friend's cheerful comments.

"I know! I can't wait for Acornstep to see them, they're so perfect! Not a single imperfection! They will be the best in the clan! Oh, I'm sure that Starclan has blessed my precious darlings!" She began to clean the very last kit but stopped in mid-lick and widened her eyes, "Oh, Speckledove?"

The young medicine cat turned from staring back at the corner where she had just seen her past mentor, "Oh yes? Have you decided on their names?" Speckledove put on a fake cheery face but worry and fear gnawed at her belly. She couldn't let it show though, it would throw the clan into more of a panic. As soon as she could, she would tell Honeystar of the sudden prophecy. Why did the sun go out? Why was the kit glowing with its light? Was it part of the prophecy? What did the prophecy mean?

Willowrain blinked, "Oh yes, this lovely tom here will be Walnutkit, and this perfectly beautiful she-kit shall be Cottonkit, lastly, this little cream she-kit will be Dawnkit," She flicked her gaze away from her new kits and looked back at Speckledove with worry in her blue eyes, "But I just felt something rather strange on Dawnkit's back," Her eyes then stretched wider, "could my beautiful kits have something wrong with them," Willowrain's voice turned to a low wail, "Oh could my lovely, precious, darlings be scarred? Could they be distorted?! Oh, could I have done something wrong!"

"Now, now calm down. I'm sure she's fine," Speckledove felt some relief that she could see the kit that had shone like the sun, but she had already been taken aback from the name Dawnkit. Picking her up by her scruff, Speckledove set the kit down by her gray, dimpled paws. She began feeling along the creamy she-kit's spine. To her surprise, Speckledove felt two small lumps and her back. _Birthing after substance? Or possibly clumped fur?_ Her mother stared at the mewling kit as the medicine cat worked precariously, taking off anything that make have clung to her.

She swiftly licked her but the lumps were hard and barely bunged. Speckledove lifted her head, confusion fluttering in her eyes like butterflies being scared off a flower patch. Willowrain and Rosetail leaned in closer as she fitted the lump in between the toes of her paw, carefully, she lifted it up.

Rosetail gasped with her eyes were wide with disbelief, Speckledove's breath seemed to catch in her throat and her paw quivered as she held it up, but Willowrain's expression was filled with shock and horror. Between the medicine cat's gray paw was held a tiny, down covered, tawny wing.

"H-how?" Rosetail's voice was shaking and she seemed to almost choke on the words, but Speckledove was speechless, many words seemed to race through her mind but she could not bring them out of her throat.

"GET THAT HORRIBLE, UGLY, CREATURE AWAY FROM MY KITS!" Willowrain's screech was full of disgust and outrage, her eyes were slits and her claws were out, tail lashing wildly, causing the kits to wail and mewl.

Rosetail turned toward her friend with shock radiating off her, "But that's your kit! How could you say something like that about her!" Willowrain only turned and looked at her with eyes like ice.

"That- that _thing_ , is not my kit," all her brown, dappled fur stood on end, "That thing is a disgusting, misshapen _freak._ It never came from me or my family and it will never," her voice was cold and sharp, making Speckledove step back, " _ever_ be a part of it. That monster isn't even a cat, and the warrior code shouldn't even apply to it. You would only call it a kit if you were blind."

Speckledove gulped, "I, I don't know how to explain this, but we can't let the clan see her, not after what just happened."

Rosetail turned her head, "What just happened?"

"The, the sun- it, it just-" Speckledove had to stop herself from trembling, "it went _out."_

"What do mean it just went out?"

"The sky was dark and the sun was just a round shadow. It's back now, but everyone was panicking," the pregnant queen's tail bushed up even more.

"This is _huge_ , both the sun and this kit must be a sign," the medicine cat stroked the kit's back to try and calm her mews, but she kept wailing out for her mother even though Speckledove tried to stop her panic, "The clan is not ready for this poor kit," her mew grew stern, "no one will be allowed in and out except me, Honeystar, and you two," she glanced down at the now quieted siblings that suckled greedily at their mother, "You can let those two out of the nursery, but none of you can speak of this kit until Honeystar and I have decided what to do."

Rosetail nodded and so did Willowrain, but she let out a low growl as she did so, "I will not feed that thing or let it near my darlings. You will have to have Rosetail do so, but I don't even want it to sleep in the nursery."

"But I haven't even had my kits yet! Surely I haven't begun to produce milk?" Speckledove then padded up to the anxious queen, licking Rosetail's ear reassuringly.

"Your body has the hormones to create milk since you are already with kits," She nodded down to the queen's round belly, "If she starts to suckle, your body will give off the milk even before the kits are born. But just for extra measure I will get both of you some herbs for milk production."

As Speckledove padded out of the nursery and was confronted by Willowrain's mate, Acornstep.

"I heard Willowrain yowling in there, is she alright? Can I go see her? Are the kits well?" The golden brown tom's fur was ruffled, but then again, every cat's fur was ruffled throughout the entire clearing. Most were huddled in the dip of the camp's ground where the cats usually gathered for clan meetings. Speckledove realized that the clan leader, Honeystar, must have called for order in the chaos.

"Your mate is fine Acornstep, but you can't go in the nursery to see her," with his eyes widening with worry, Speckledove had to add, "Everyone is fine, but one of your kits is very feeble and ill, we don't want any cat, that hasn't already entered, coming in. When Willowrain is healthier, she may come out to see you and bring the other kits out, but till then you must wait."

He still wore an expression of worry and stress, but he nodded and padded over to the group of cats in the meeting hollow. Then, the thick, golden furred Honeystar pranced over with a flash of relief in her troubled green gaze.

"Oh thank Starclan you are done. Did you see what happened outside?" Speckledove nodded, her feeling of dread thickening, deep down, she had hoped she imagined it all.

"I saw it, but not for long, I had to go back in and help Willowrain with an unexpected kit," the medicine cat paused, "It was born right when the sun went out." Honeystar's eyes widened.

"Was it an omen?" once again the medicine cat nodded her head.

"I received a message from Starclan," she glanced around and lowered her voice, "but we must speak of it in my den," The two cats bounded through the empty log that connected a small island to the larger one that was the camp. The entire camp was an island with the river bending around it. A large tree sat on the smaller island, its roots rapping in and out of the soil, all mostly visible until it met the water. A hole in the roots announced the entrance to the den, inside of it, small cracks it between the upper roots let light flicker in. The tree's roots also looped in and out on the den's walls, in between these held bundles of plants that made up her herb stores. A steady trickle of water was coming down off the roof by one wall, forming a small pool at the floor that the tree's greedy tendrils dipped into. The floor of the den was sand and felt soft under-paw.

Speckledove padded over to a roll of plants and sniffed it, muttering something about stale herbs and new-leaf growth. Grabbing a small wad in her jaws, she set it at her paws and sat in a soft moss bed, "This kit was born just as the sun went out, but after it had called out for the first time the den filled with light and it shown off her pelt like a sunrise," Honeystar stared intently, "With not even my judgment, Willowrain had named her Dawnkit. Then, I heard Grasswing's voice tell me something," she began to repeat the prophecy, " _A time of darkness is on the horizon, a storm that is dwelling at the edge of fate for which every clan shall be intertwined. Only the very first light of the sun will finally put an end to it. But shadows can be just as strong as the brightest day, and if all fails, that light shall be the last, and a leaf-bare of darkness will run eternal."_

Honeystar's tail was lashing in dismay, "How is this kit?"

Speckledove looked into Honeystar's green eyes, "I've ordered no one to go into the nursery except the queens, myself, and you. They also can't speak of the kit, not a word to the clan. Until you and I figure out what to do after this panic calms down, then we will see to what is fit to do with the kit."

Confusion clouded the golden leader's gaze, her fur was fluffed up half as big, "What would be so secret about this kitten that we would have to keep her in away from the rest of the clan?"

Speckledove picked up the leaves in her jaws and flicked her tail towards the entrance, beckoning her leader to follow, "You'll have to see for yourself," her voice was muffled by the plants.

Soon the two cats entered the nursery. The small cream colored she-kit was laying down against Rosetail, curled at her soft belly fur. The two queen's nests had been moved to opposite sides of the den, Willowrain had a cold stare directed towards Dawnkit and Rosetail only glanced up at the two cats and continued to stroke the sleeping kit's back with her soft brown tail. Dawnkit's chest slowly rose and fell rhythmically, her tiny wings hanging loosely at her sides. Seeing the kit's content rest, Speckledove assumed that the feeding had gone well.

She heard Honeystar's astonished gasp and the leader murmured something, not taking her eyes off the kit, "What fate shall befall this poor young?"

Speckledove gulped, _I don't know,_ she thought wearily, _I really, truly don't know..._


	4. 1: Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sunlight filtered through the ivy tendrils that were hanging lazily in the soft wind, the light on the walls of the nursery changing and shifting with every light swish. A cool breeze drifted around the small den, bringing with it the scent of blossoms and reeds.

Dawnkit's nose twitched, the new-leaf wind carried one more scent, the scent of prey. She lifted up her head, fur ruffled from sleep and azure eyes drowsy. Stumbling upward, the kit stood unevenly on her soft, white paws. Sniffing, Dawnkit realized that the scent was fresh, knowing that if there was fresh-kill on the pile, Rosetail would soon wake up. The warm moss of the nest shifted as a dark brown tabby rolled over and began to blink the sleep out of her deep, crimson eyes.

"Good morning love, I hope I haven't wakened you," the queen got up awkwardly with her oversized belly, that was full of kits, and began to groom her silky underfur. Dawnkit looked at her foster-mother and turned to groom herself also. When looking at her back, she saw her tawny feathers and down protruding awkwardly off of her wings that she had neatly tucked to her sides. Stretching one out, she began to preen it, licking the feathers down and nibbling some so that it was strait and smooth and then did the same with the other wing. After they had finished, Dawnkit whining in protest as Rosetail licked the fur behind her ruffled ears, the queen stood up and told her she would only be gone for minute to go out and fetch the fresh prey.

"Could I come? Oh _please!_ I don't feel sick, I'm fine! Oh can't I come! Just for a moment!" Dawnkit let out a sigh of disappointment as the Rosetail shook her head. Every day she had gotten up with Rosetail just to ask the same question, and every day she got the same answer. It was just so frustrating! Walnutkit and Cottonkit went out all the time, why couldn't she?

"Why would you be sick love?" Rosetail tilted her head questioningly.

"Well, last night I heard some cats talking outside of the nursery, one was talking about _me,_ so of course I had to listen! That cat asked why they couldn't visit the nursery and the other said it's because Walnut and Cottonkit's littermate was sickly, but I feel fine! Why do they think I'm sick?" she paused, " _Am_ I sick?"

Rosetail licked the top of Dawnkit's head lovingly, "Of course not love, you aren't sick. You just can't go out and they can't come in because your..." she groped for the words, " _special._ "

So many times had Dawnkit asked for answers, and the only ones that were there was that she was _special_. But that only brought up more questions, and they only had the same answer, other than that it would usually be Rosetail pausing and then suddenly changing the subject. But Dawnkit had learned to prefer those answers over her birth mother's, Willowrain. With her _special_ was usually turned into some sort of winged _freak_ , _creature_ , or _monster._ But Dawnkit had learned not to let the comments get to her, right now she would have actually _wanted_ a reply to any sort of question she might ask Willowrain. But instead she would just turn away and act as if she didn't say anything, much less exist, anymore.

"I wish I wasn't so _special_ ," Dawnkit spat out the last word, her feathers fluffing up with indignation, but really, she wanted to go lie down and wail frustration and sadness.

"I'll come with you," Dawnkit tried to turn and see which cat had said that, but instead she had only been able to grunt in surprise as she was swiftly pushed aside by a paw. Twisting around, she mewed out, "Excuse me," but the cat standing there had to only have been her very own birth-mother. Willowrain snorted in disgust and trotted over to Rosetail who had already squeezed through the bramble entrance past the swaying ivy.

Dawnkit pricked her ears as she heard excited mews and squeaks, turning around revealed that her littermates were frolicking in a game of moss-ball. Dawnkit realized that them and her were the only cats in the den, a rare occurrence since Willowrain never wanted Dawnkit alone with them, much less near the two. Dawnkit had always known that Willowrain was her mother and Walnutkit and Cottonkit were her siblings. It was a feeling, a connection that she couldn't quite understand and when she had asked Rosetail if they were, she had nodded.

"When you were born, Willowrain had you and your littermates, but she thought that you weren't good enough, she misunderstood and saw something wrong with you, that is why she gave you to me. But don't be sad, there really is nothing wrong with you, she just didn't understand you're just different, your _special_." Dawnkit had felt hurt for only a short while then turned that hurt into determination to prove to her birth-mother that nothing was wrong with her.

The memories flashing through Dawnkit's mind fizzled as the moss-ball whizzed through the air towards her, landing at her paws. She glanced down at the ball and then back at her siblings, her mind went blank. _What do I do? Do I leave it? Do I throw it? Will they get mad at me if I do?_

Walnutkit then called out, to Dawnkit's relief, "Just toss it over here!"

Hooking it with her claws, Dawnkit flung the moss-ball over, landing a tail length behind the kits. Cottonkit squeaked with surprise and bounded clumsily after it, her brother at her heels. They tussled about and she stood on top of her brother, triumph in her amber eyes, in the end. Suddenly, Cottonkit dropped the moss-ball and eyed Dawnkit, who had been shuffling back to her nest.

"Hey! Do you want to play? That was a pretty good throw and we could use an extra warrior!" Dawnkit turned around, her eyes as wide as full moons.

"You want _me_ to play?" Disbelief filled her, as wells as a rising sense of a feeling she had barely known, joy.

Cottonkit nodded but her brother shoved her off and grabbed the moss-ball with his paws. Flinging it away, Walnutkit jumped off of her and began to thunder across to the green wad of moss. Dawnkit had seen them play it enough to know that the objective was to get the ball and not let the other kits take it. She zoomed after him.

Dawnkit soon caught up to the husky kit, she was fast for her age, but she still wished that her legs weren't as short. As he got closer to the ball, she leaped and nipped softly at his ankles. He squeaked and stumbled down to ground, Dawnkit stopped. _Did I hurt him? Is he alright? Did I play wrong?_

Walnutkit grunted and got up. Playfulness, not hurt, dancing in his eyes, "Nice one-" but his comment was cut short by his sister who was trampling over him. The game went on from there, the moss-ball switching from kit to kit rapidly. Soon, Dawnkit seemed to forget that she didn't even share the same nest as the two. They romped about, with Dawnkit feeling light with joy, and they rolled in a tussle with each kit squeaking with delight and excitement. For the first time Dawnkit could remember, they felt like _real_ littermates.

Suddenly, Willowrain's gasp of horror sounded behind them. Dawnkit hadn't noticed that she had entered the nursery at all with being in the excitement of the game.

"STOP ATTACKING MY KITS YOU HORRIBLE MONSTER!" Willowrain darted over and roughly grabbed Dawnkit by the scruff, flinging her to the other side of the den with her thorn-sharp claws. She thudded against the stone wall, gasping as the air was driven out of her.

"Mama, we were only playing moss-ba-"

"Hush now my darlings, I won't let that _monster_ hurt you anymore," Willowrain cooed over her kits as she herded them to their nest. She then turned to Rosetail, who was looking at Dawnkit's scratches worriedly.

"I have been speaking to Honeystar, and she agrees that Dawnkit is old enough to be weaned," her gaze was fixed on Rosetail, once again acting as if the pale colored kit wasn't even there, "Since it is, we will be moving it to another nest."

Rosetail's head shot up, "Where?"

Willowrain was tilting her head to a little cave in the walls where they usually kept moss, "It is big enough for it to sleep in and the only way outside is already covered in brambles," the cold worded queen was correct, the nook was a crack where the fallen rocks that had made up the nursery met and left a little rounded den that was two small for an adult cat. The only downfall was that it had another tiny entrance that led outwards, but it just led into some small gorse bushes and the outer nursery had already been dressed with brambles that were used for protection. The brambles fell over the tiny opening making it incapable of escape, and that little exit caught light that fell through the bushes giving the cave very little, but some, lighting.

Dawnkit was now getting up, disoriented, but alright, "When will she go there?" A grim look was on Willowrain's face.

"Tonight."

For the rest of the day, Dawnkit's mind was in a haze. Speckledove had come in and given her some Marigold for the scratches and Chamomile for shock. Before Dawnkit had known it, the day became night and she lay alone, in a small nest in a tiny cave. The ceiling was low enough for her stand and prick her ears up to feel it. Her bed of moss was cold without Rosetail's warmth, and Dawnkit felt like she had never been so lonely. A chunk of robin lay in front of her that her foster-mother had pushed in through the door way. Though the scent was tempting, Dawnkit felt to miserable to eat it.

A cold draft blew in through the bramble cover and she shivered, pulling her wings in closer for warmth. Dawnkit closed her eyes, hoping sleep would soon take over, but a hard knot of dread sat heavy in her heart. And she had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time she'd feel it again.


	5. 1: Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The shrill mews of Cottonkit and Walnut kit burst through the thin veil of Dawnkit's light dream. She shifted around in her small nest, hoping to get comfortable and sleep once more, but the light from the crack covered in brambles made it impossible to drift back into rest.

Yet another voice brought her out of her drowsy state, "I'll be out for only a little bit, after I give this prey to Dawnkit. If you want to have some cat to watch those two and sure my sister Tawnyrobin will be fine with it, she's great with kits," the soft voice of Rosetail echoed in the tiny cave making the creamy pelted kit sit up, her belly rumbled with the anticipation of prey.

Whenever she was hungry, she would simply ask for a little bit of fresh-kill, but most of the time she left with empty words along with her belly because Willowrain would just ignore her. More and more often, Rosetail would go out for walks around the territory. Since Dawnkit didn't need her to nurse anymore, she went to leave the confining den. And Dawnkit didn't blame her, but it got lonely.

Rosetail's face soon appeared at the entrance of the cave as she knelt down to give the sleepy kit a chunk of vole. She loved Rosetail's prey, she always removed the bones and tough parts for Dawnkit, so the meat was always soft, juicy, and tender. Her mouth watered as the queen dropped the vole piece and blinked good-bye. Soon the den was empty and Dawnkit found herself alone, again.

She knew what this meant, she could go outside.

Dawnkit knew that she would never want to disobey her foster-mother, but recently she had spotted a small ledge near a hole in the den's roof, but the hole had been stuffed with mud and dead leaves. She knew she wasn't supposed to go out there, but if she got up on the roof of the den she wouldn't really be _leaving_ it, just looking around from the top.

The question was though, how to get up there.

She prowled around it every time she had the chance, but today Willowrain and Acornstep would be out to teach their kits how to swim in the shallows of camp. This was her best chance.

Acornstep had stopped worrying about his last "sickly" kit after Willowrain said that was just an excuse that Speckledove used to keep them out, he wondered why he still couldn't go in, but she told him it was medicine cat business.

Dawnkit bunched her muscles and tried to leap, her paws scrapped the stone right under the ledge and she fell down into the soft floor with a _"Frlump!"_ She tried again, and again, and again.

She had to try, just one more time, _just trying is better than giving up,_ Dawnkit pushed herself to remember.

She positioned herself, and closed her eyes. The scenery of an imaginary realm flooded her mind. In front of her, a cliff that was right across from a canyon, going miles down to a raging river, and behind, a group of hungry badgers. Dawnkit had never seen real badgers, but Rosetail told her they were mean, big, scary monsters with long claws and black fur with a white strip down its back. She let a small panic form from the scenario, escape being all that mattered. Without knowing it, she had spread out her small wings, with more feathers than down that had grown in the past moon. Dawnkit bunched her muscles once more and sprang upwards. A sudden instinct flourished throughout her and she flapped her wings vigorously, soon enough, she landed half-way onto the ledge. Grabbing it with her claws, she hauled herself over. Dawnkit looked down in surprise.

"I did it! I really did it! But, how?" She looked at her small wings, she had never known a moment without them, but until now she had never known what they were for. The extra limbs didn't feel unnatural and Dawnkit didn't really think of _why_ they were there, she just knew they were.

Turning around, she lifted up her nose to feel the soft, damp closing. Dawnkit began to dig it out with her front paws, after a bit, the moldy leaves and dirt showered down on her soft cream colored pelt. She shook it off and excitedly clambered through the opening. A gentle wind hitting her face announced that she had made it outside.

Scents brushed her nose and she had to open up her mouth to take it all in. The smells of cats, plants, mud, reeds, flowers, birds... Dawnkit twitched her whiskers so the little dirt pieces that hung on them rained to the smooth den roof. Pulling herself out, she shook off the rest of the debris and looked around. All she could see were leaves.

Dawnkit then realized that the roof was just covered in some low hanging branches of a willow, the dangling branches stood around her like den walls on each side except for where the branch met the trunk of the tree, giving a slight window that revealed the flowing river. Behind the wall of green, that covered the view of the camp, were slightly muted voices of her clanmates. Excitement rushed through Dawnkit, she was going to finally see the camp!

She lightly padded over the uneven stone and poked her head through the willow's tendrils. The scene of the camp burst around her.

The camp was just as Rosetail said, it was a grassy island that was flanked all around in reeds and towering trees. Over the border, Dawnkit caught a glance of the sparkling river. The middle of the camp was filled with short grass and a couple of small bushes that had the scent of prey on them, Dawnkit assumed that was the fresh-kill pile since three cats sat around the bushes sharing a large rabbit.

"This was a great catch Brackenheart, you've outdone yourself," a lithe, brown she-cat with gold eyes was meowing to a dusky, brown tom.

He nodded in acknowledgment, "Thanks Goldenhazel, it was a tough one," Remembering some of Rosetail's stories, she realized that the tom next to lithe she-cat was Brackenheart, Rosetail's mate. She knew that Brackenheart had two siblings, Goldenhazel and Yarrowfeather.

Yarrowfeather sat next to them while tearing at the hare. He was bulky and a slight darker brown than his littermates, but what stood out were his sharp, yellow eyes. Though he was intimidating, what caught Dawnkit's attention was that his back carried no wings. She had thought for sure that since he was Yarrow _feather_ he would have wings like her, but he lay by the others, looking no different than them.

Over to the right of Dawnkit, a group of cats bounded through a bramble and fern tunnel. They carried the scent of moor and stone. They stopped by a den of woven reeds on the side of the camp entrance, with some entering, but one padded down into a dip of the land beside the reeds that was filled with sand. On the upper ridge of the hollow stood a pile of boulders that created a den, leaning on those rocks was a large log that had had one smooth branch protrude over the dip. A gray tom with darker gray speckles trotted over to a thick-furred golden she-cat.

"Honeystar," he grunted, "We found Rainclan scents passing over the border, we went to investigate and found squirrel blood, on _our_ land," Honeystar's pelt fluffed up a bit and she stopped grooming.

"Thank you Drizzlefur, I'll have Leafwhisker gather a patrol to check it out further, could you go and show them where that bush is?" he nodded, "Alright then, Leafwhisker!" A brown tom with white dapples pricked his ears and padded over to the leader, "Gather some cats, Drizzlefur's border patrol has scented Rainclan crossing the border and possibility of prey stealing."

The tom looked very similar to Cottonkit, Dawnkit remembered that Leafwhisker was Willowrain's brother so it made sense that the heredity would show in his niece. Leafwhisker nodded and called over to Acornstep, who was gleaming with pride as he watched his kits swim in the shallow water next to the clan-branch where the meetings were called. He turned reluctantly from his mate and kits as he heard his name.

The deputy called out other names, "Yarrowfeather! Brookpaw! Fogeye! Duskbird! Littleleap!" Each cat came one by one as their names were called. The husky, yellow eyed tom grabbed his apprentice Brookpaw, a gray-blue tom that was the son of Dewnose and Duskbird. Fogeye was a dull white tom with blue eyes, but one of those eyes was cloudy and sightless. Dawnkit thought for sure Dusk _bird_ had to have wings, but no, she was just a normal dark gray-blue she-cat with brown stripes and gold eyes. Lastly, Littleleap was a small, dusty, tabby tom without a tail. The group spoke for a moment and then headed out through the tunnel.

A pretty gray-white she-cat with darker gray flecks and wide, blue eyes was exiting out of a log that stretched across a tiny current of water that branched off into the shallow pool Cottonkit and Walnutkit were swimming in. Across that log was a small island that was entirely a tree and its roots, Dawnkit was told from Rosetail that the medicine cat den was in a cave underneath that tree, but Dawnkit already recognized that cat from her many visits. That was Speckledove, Drizzlefur's sister.

Dawnkit gulped, praying to Starclan that she wasn't heading to the nursery for one of the winged kit's many check-ups. But the medicine cat was instead going over to speak with some warriors outside the den of woven reeds, _That must be the warrior's den!_ Dawnkit was excited about figuring the camp out with her previous knowledge and intuition.

"I heard from Fireflypaw that you sprained your paw out on border patrol," Speckledove mewed as she padded over to the four cats who had been sharing tongues. A dark brown tabby with a tawny, crimson-brown chest lifted her head up to speak to Speckledove, she was lying next to a brown she-cat who looked similar to Littleleap with the tabby markings and lack of tail. The other two were a gray cat with round, blue eyes and a pure white cat white shining sapphire-like eyes.

"I noticed she had been limping," the dark tabby turned her head, "you should have gone to see her," the light tabby looked down guiltily.

"I was being clumsy and I should have seen the brambles. I don't want Speckledove to waste any herbs on me Tawnyrobin," Speckledove blinked in surprise.

"It's new-leaf! Don't worry about wasting herbs, I have plenty Tansyblossom," Dawnkit tried to match names to faces. The dark tabby with the tawny, crimson and brown chest, that had looked like Rosetail, was Tawnyrobin, Rosetail's sister. The light brown tabby with the leaf-green eyes was Tansyblossom.

"Come with me to my den and I'll look into it," the medicine cat then looked at the white she-cat and the gray she-cat who were getting up, "Azuregaze, Berrymist, could you go and find some moss for Fireflypaw to change the elder's den?" The two she-cats nodded and headed towards the fern tunnel.

On Dawnkit's left, the medicine cat den was across the clearing that the cats were heading to. Down that edge towards the nursery was a low den of a large gorse bush, but right next to that was merely an old badger set, the scent of mouse-bile rose from it and Dawnkit could assume that that was the elder's den and the gorse bush was the apprentice den. There was a large gap between the elder's den and the nursery where the trees broke off and the grass melted away into soft sand where large, smooth faced rocks lay. A cat was relaxing lazily in the warm sun along with two others.

"These darn flies won't leave me alone," a faded-orange tom grumbled, rubbing his nose with a paw that was twisted like it had been broken.

"Maybe if you stopped complaining about everything they would," a gray she-cat with white spots and a dark stripe down her back purred a rough, raspy purr.

A dark tabby tom with a black underbelly and jaw turned to tug at a tick in his side, "I don't know, Bluestripe, the apprentices are sure slackin'," She kept her eyes closed as she stretched out her body, Bluestripe's hips were visible under her fur.

"Even when they are up to speed, Bramblefoot still complains about everything Barkjaw," all of the cat's movements were slow and their muzzles were flecked with age. Dawnkit could tell they were the elders.

Clan life was amazing! It seemed that something was always happening! Everything that the little kit had dreamed about was right in front of her. Dawnkit felt the sudden urge to leap down from the roof and join them, but a wail of anguish and horror from Tawnyrobin made her tense.

The cats from the earlier ordered patrol were dragging in a body, and it was Rosetail's.

Dawnkit scrambled over to the small opening and fell onto the nursery floor. A dread seemed to fill her, making her tremble from her soft white paws to white dipped tail tip. What if going outside of the nursery made Starclan angry with her? What if they want to punish Rosetail for Dawnkit's disobedience?

The creamy she-kit lay shaking in her stale moss nest as she heard Willowrain order her kits to stay with their father while she and Speckledove made it all better. Dawnkit heard the sound of dragging and saw through the small entrance of her cave Speckledove and Willowrain dragging the Rosetail in.

Dawnkit tried to get a better look at Rosetail, but the medicine cat blocked her view. She was still trembling as she heard them working on the queen, she was kitting. But what made Dawnkit want to go and run away from it all was when she heard Speckledove say that it wasn't very likely that Rosetail or the kits would make it. The queen had been out for a walk when a fox had attacked her, the patrol was on their way back when they heard the fight. After they chased away the fox, she went into labor and could barely walk.

Dawnkit didn't want to hear any more of it, she put her paws over ears. _This is all my fault,_ tremors of despair, guilt, and sorrow pulsing through her every limb, _I'm sorry!_ She wanted to yowl, _I'm so sorry!_

Dawnkit woke from a dreamless sleep, her wings aching from tension in her shoulder muscles. But the aching of her back hadn't waken her, faint mewls of newborn kits had.

Her head shot up and she raced outside of her small cave. It was dark, the faint light of sunset the only way to make out the nursery. Willowrain was sleeping in her nest with her tail rapped gently over her kits. Speckledove was laying inside also, awake on a make-shift den watching the rise and fall of a chest of a dark silhouette lying next to her. Dawnkit knew that was Rosetail in a second and raced over, relief making her whole body relax. The queen was in a deep sleep, her body curled around three tiny shapes.

"She and her kits will be alright," Speckledove's mew was hushed, "They made it through surprisingly well and will be healthy in a matter of days," the swelling of relief in her heart made her body shake even more than when it was in fear.

It was a while before she had to be herded to bed, the time before so, she was just sitting next to Speckledove watching the kits. Speckledove told her that their names were Turtlekit, a dark brown tom with a black underbelly, like his great grandfather Barkjaw, Fawnkit, a light brown she-kit with white dapples, and Tadpolekit, a pure black tom. Strangely enough, all three kits had no tail or a "half sized" tail. Dawnkit felt as proud as if they were her own siblings.

Laying in her nest, images of the three kits and her danced through Dawnkit's mind. They would play moss-ball, and have fun pretend games, they would share prey, and be the closest littermates ever, even if Dawnkit didn't really share their blood.

"But we're all cats, that's all that matters..." her sleepy murmur faded into silence, breathing slowed and rest leading her into a land of dreams. A land where Willowrain liked her, she played with her littermates, and went on wild adventures outside in the camp clearing with her new siblings coming along. And as Dawnkit contently slept, she deeply wished that when she woke up, her dreams would become reality.


	6. 1: Chapter 4

**Oh man, poor little kit. Just think, if this is only her kithood, then wait till she gets apprenticed! _If_ she gets apprenticed. Lets hope Starclan guides us down that rode (; This is a Speckledove chapter so lets see the medicine cat's point of view.**

Chapter 4

Speckledove worked neatly with her paws as she rolled up the last bundle of dock and set on top of the others. Each were tied with a long blade of grass and stacked accordingly between the wall and a thick root. The stores were refreshed and now she could go check up and Dawnkit.

The medicine cat had been working hard to completely understand the situation with the winged kit. Everyday she went to check on her, to see if there were any problems with her muscles or system with the two extra limbs on her shoulders and back. So far, she had seen nothing bad happening, no arthritis or muscle stress and she was just healthy as the other kits, even the three newborns.

Speckledove had noticed that with every moon, so far Dawnkit was four, that there would be less down on her wings and more adult feathers. The tawny, light cream-brown wings used to be all down and very tiny, but now they were growing fast, just a bit longer than Dawnkit's leg.

Truthfully, the medicine cat had not been worry about how big the wings would be and how they would effect the kit's back, they were very light. Speckledove was worried about it before, so she had taken a sparrow and removed the bones to inspect them. The tiny bones were extremely light and when, on further inspection, hollow. She assumed that the muscles of Dawnkit's back would connect from right bellow the shoulders and in the upper back. The muscles of the bird had been similar to the ones of a cat's shoulders to, so it was good placement.

After summarizing that Dawnkit's body could most possibly take the weight and full usage of the wings, Speckledove had been so tired from studying it all night she forgot to wash up her paws. When she went to the elders to give them some herbs for their joint pain, Bramblefoot nearly fainted at the sight of her blood covered paws.

The situation had been a wake up call though, all of the responsibility of the prophecy and Dawnkit's health had been resting on her shoulders alone. Honeystar went on everyday like the prophecy was just yesterday's old fresh-kill. But the words spoken by Grasswing had been haunting the medicine cat's dreams. When ever she did sleep, she was woken by those words being whispered into her ears, and she was done with it.

Speckledove washed herself quickly and padded up the dirt slope to the entrance of her den. The bright sunlight made her blink her eyes rapidly, she was spending much more time than usual in the barely lit cave. The small current of water that rapped around the tree, making it an island to the camp, sloshed laxly at the hollow log bridge connecting the two land masses. But the bridge stood firm, unmoved by the slight tug of the current.

The gray, dappled she-cat crossed and ambled over towards the stone nursery, exhaustion weighing down on her paws like there were stones tied to them, suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. The slight irritation then flickered into an infuriating anger. _Why_ should she be the only one worried about this?! This was not only her problem, but the entire clan's! Whenever Speckledove tried to bring up what to do when comes apprenticing time, Honeystar would conveniently get distracted by another thing!

She abruptly turned direction over to the golden leader's den, without warning, she burst into the small cave where Honeystar was resting.

"I think we need to talk about Dawnkit," Honeystar lifted her head with a surprised look on her face.

"Is something wrong?" Speckledove's fur spiked up at her leaders reaction.

"Of course there's something wrong! She's a winged cat for Starclan's sake!" Her growl made the leader pull back her ears.

"Calm down," she said coolly, "What is it about Dawnkit that you would like to speak of?"

"What are we going to do when the others are made apprentices and she isn't?"

"Who says she won't be an apprentice?" The medicine cat suddenly back tracked.

"But the clan doesn't even know about her existence! If she's to become an apprentice then we need to introduce the idea to the clan immediately, not to mention introduce her!" The leader began to wash her paw and Speckledove's voice became pleading.

"Please, I don't know what to do, I need your back up!" Suddenly, Honeystar's head turned and her gaze became sharp.

" _I'm_ the one who makes the decisions here, _you_ are _my_ back up. Don't forget who is the leader of this clan," the medicine cat bit back the words, _Well then start making some decisions or you'll lead just as well as a sleeping elder!_

"Yes Honeystar," She said dryly, guilt pricked her. _Honeystar's a good leader, I should get over my foul mood and act reasonably._

"I think I will look over when we will introduce her to the clan, but until then, she will stay inside the nursery. You may leave now," The dappled gray she-cat padded out of the leader's den. Afterwords she stopped by the nursery to check on Dawnkit and Rosetail's kits, she left, went into her den and curled down in her nest. But sleep seemed miles away.

An idea flickered in Speckledove's mind, she shot upwards. Swiftly, she pulled down a special mixture of herbs and swallowed them down, grateful for the heather nectar she added to it to make the herbs less bitter. Getting up, she padded out of the cave and through the hollow, bounding over to the fern tunnel. Her brother Drizzlefur noticed her and called out the medicine cat's name.

"Speckledove! Are you going out to collect herbs? I could join you if you'd like."

She turned to her kind eyed brother and shook her head, "No, where I am going I won't need help or an escort."

He tilted his darker gray head, "Where are you going?" he asked curiously.

She lifted up her chin to meet his gaze, her eyes hard but with a sparkle of hope in them, "To the Moon-Willow."


	7. 1: Chapter 5

**Mmmmmmmkay! Chapter 5 here we go! Dawnkit's fuzzy chick down should be growing out into fledgling feathers soon, and after that, adult feathers :D The show goes on! Ooooo, the Moon-Willow sounds mysterious! But its not for this chapter!**

Chapter 5

Dawnkit shuffled around her small cave, bored out of her mind. Sitting, she began to play with a moss-ball between her paws but quickly lost interest.

Rosetail was now in the den all the time with her new kits, they were to young to play with and needed to be watched all the time. Willowrain also was always inside to watch Rosetail, her kits playing out in the camp on their own now. And to Dawnkit's frustration, the hole in the den roof was patched, the warriors guessing a bird had done the damage. She only wished that she had more time to take in the camp and its daily routine, minus dragging in a severally injured queen.

She rolled in her nest, noticing the moss was stale, but Dawnkit didn't want to bother Rosetail, or especially Willowrain. An idea formed in her mind.

Moss grew in shade right? So maybe underneath the bushes outside the covered entrance of her den was some. Surely no one would notice her under all those branches? She would just take a peek and grab some if there were any.

Dawnkit glanced to her side, the two queens were in a conversation while their kits suckled. She felt a tug at her heart as she remembered the feeling of falling asleep with a warm belly full of milk. She shoved it away, Dawnkit knew that she would never feel that again.

Gingerly, she grabbed a bramble tendril in her jaws, and tucked it behind a stone pointing away from the entrance in the den wall and then continued to do the same with the others. Soon every bramble was draped away and she could squeeze through the opening.

Dappled light covered the forest floor and it reflected off Dawnkit's pelt with a glow. The bases of the bushes were several thin branches bunched together in a mound, she guessed she should check there first.

The kit stretched luxuriously with the new found warmth on her back, spreading out her wings to take it all in, and then began to roll over some clods of dirt. The first bush was unsuccessful, but she still felt thankful for being out of the nursery.

Soon, four of the five bushes were all checked and found empty, but there was still one to go. Dawnkit shifted her weight on her paws nervously, that bush had a good covering on one side, so if a cat knelt down they would still only meet branches, but it was awfully close to the outside.

The pale golden-cream kit padded over to the bush and began to look around it, she froze. The sound of a group of cat's voices drew near and pawsteps thumped by, the nursery was right next to the camp entrance. A patrol was just passing by when Dawnkit turned to go back to her cave, and stepped directly on a thorn.

"Ouch!" she squeaked with surprise and pain and stumbled backwards. One of the pawsteps stopped.

"Fireflypaw? What's the matter, you coming?" a voice mewed out from behind the protection of the bushes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll meet you out in the training hollow in a minute, I just need to check something," the rest of the group left but the one cat remained. Dawnkit's mind seemed to scream out _Run!_ but she stood firm, paws glued to the ground.

"Cottonkit? Walnutkit? Is that you?" the voice was of a she-cat.

"N-no," Dawnkit wanted to just turn and lay back down in her nest and pretend she never left the cave, but something in her made her reply, "I'm Cottonkit's and Walnutkit's sister, D-Dawnkit."

Surprise edged the cat's meow, "Their sister? I didn't know they had a sister, how come no cat has told me about you, and I haven't seen you out?"

"That's because Willowrain doesn't like me, she doesn't talk about me, and keeps me inside the den so I can't go out and play," she glanced down at her paws in sadness, "I just wish I could, I shouldn't even be out here,"

"Why would a mother even do that to her kit?" the outrage in the she-cat's voice faded into sympathy, "You should be out here, every kit deserves to plat outside in the camp."

"Not me," her tail drooped, "I can't go outside at all."

"Why is that Dawnkit?"

"Because I'm," her fur bristled, " _Special._ "

The she-cat's voice brightened as she formed an idea, "Well, if you ever feel lonely, I can meet you out by these bushes at right before sun-rise, or is that to early?"

Dawnkit felt a sparkle of happiness at the thought of a friend, an actually friend that hasn't rejected her, but then again, the kit hasn't even showed the she-cat much of herself, or her " _special_ "ness.

"Well I need to go, but I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?" Dawnkit nodded but then felt silly because this other cat couldn't see her.

"Yes! I can't wait, thank you!" She couldn't help herself from bursting with joy, but then lowered her voice, "By the way, whats your name?"

The cat giggled, "Oh, I forgot to tell you? Well Dawnkit, my name is Fireflypaw. I'm an apprentice and have been for just about three moons, my brother is Brookpaw." Dawnkit heard Fireflypaw get up, "Goodbye."

"Goodbye," she managed to murmur as her new-found friend scampered away.

Dawnkit turned and headed back towards her den, she stopped in her tracks. The kit exploded with glee and skipped around in delight. Her first friend! And she knew that, soon enough, all of Rosetail's kits would be her friends to!

Her paws felt light as she squeezed into her den, but as she entered, she felt her heart plummet and her breath caught in her throat. Standing in front of her were two kits, both held a smirk of contempt and an unsettling film of scorn in their eyes. She almost didn't recognize that those two kits were her own kin, Walnutkit and Cottonkit.

"Where have you been, you know you can't leave the nursery like we can _Worm-Breath_." her brothers words hit her like a claw scratch to the nose, leaving her shocked and unsteady. Dawnkit felt as though she was going vomit.

"No one wants to even look at a _freak_ like you, its disgusting," her sister flexed her claws on the moss of Dawnkit's bed, "Mother knows that if the clan even glanced at you, Honeystar would order them to through you in the river. You'll flutter, and fall, and not even Starclan will welcome a bird-cat _monster_."

Panic welled up in Dawnkit's chest and she couldn't help herself from shaking on her paws, " _Please_ don't tell Rosetail or Willowrain, I just wanted to check for moss in the bushes," Her mind whirred. How could they change so much in such short time? It was only a few moons ago that they had played moss-ball together and they had started to actually _see_ Dawnkit for who she was, not what Willowrain told them she was. But it was obvious that that image was replaced and destroyed forever. Now they could only see her as one thing, a winged freak.

"Why wouldn't we? You broke the rules _Worm-Breath_ , now you face the consequences," Walnutkit's voice was a hiss and Cottonkit snickered, "But then again, once your an apprentice they'll banish you from all four clans as a rogue, and then we won't need to look at your pure ugliness."

 _Banish me? A rogue? Not even Starclan would take me? What's so wrong with me!?_ Despair was pouring through her every limb, and Dawnkit swallowed a sob. What was happening, they were kin! This isn't how they should treat each other!

"I think, Walnutkit," Cottonkit's eyes were like ice, "We should let it get itself discovered, and we won't even get in trouble when the clan gets rid of this thing for us!"

"I think your right Cottonkit," Walnutkit paused and turned to Dawnkit. Their gaze met and the creamy she-kit looked at him with desperation in her eyes, "Its not worth the trouble," he growled.

With a flash of fur, he raised his paw and brought it down on Dawnkit's head. She stumbled sharply backwards, dazed and shocked. He then leaped at her, grabbed her scruff, and shook wildly while Cottonkit tore up her sister's stale bedding and scattered it all over the small den. Dawnkit struggled and squirmed, desperately trying to escape his grasp but she was weak with hunger and could not bring herself to hurt her own littermate.

When Walnutkit dropped her, Dawnkit's head pounded and a dull ringing echoed around her head. The shock made her dizzy and sick to her stomach, her eyes were glazed with exhaustion. The two kits snickered and left the cave, leaving their littermate lying there, dazed.

After a few moments, Dawnkit attempted to shakily stand upwards but fell down and gasped with pain. She let a low moan and felt droplets of blood form on her wings that Walnutkit had scratched and torn at in his attack. She was really just dazed and only a bit hurt, but what had caused her the most pain was that she was just attacked by her kin, her siblings, ones who shared the same blood. Sadness soon poured out of Dawnkit and she had to catch her breath in short bursts as she was ransacked by a flood of sobs. She let out a choked wail of crushing defeat and buried her face in her paws.

"What's so wrong with me?" she managed to gasp, "What's so wrong?"

Dawnkit spent a long while just laying in the remains of her nest crying, muffling out her mews and sobs so that the other cats did not hear her. After about half an hour, she stopped.

 _I have to pull myself together,_ she persuaded as she forced herself to stop shaking, _tomorrow I'll talk to Fireflypaw and maybe get to see Rosetail's kits. It'll all get better,_ Dawnkit closed her weary eyes, _It has to get better._


	8. 1: Chapter 6

**I really over did it on for the Moon-Willow, but that's better than under doing it! Finally a friend for Dawnkit! (Halleluiah music starts) But apprenticing time looms nearer and little is known of what will become of her. This is another Speckledove chapter, so enjoy!**

Chapter 6

Speckledove hastily padded through the fern and reed tunnel to the entrance of camp, she had to make it across to the Moon-Willow before moon high.

A patrol ahead of her walked away into the trees that surrounded the shore of the camp. The pure white, albino pelt of Fireflypaw stood out as she crossed the stones on the river to catch up with the group. A slight rustle in the gorse bushes on one side of the tunnel, towards the nursery, made Speckledove turn her head, but she shook it off thinking it only was a mouse.

The medicine cat crouched through the empty log bridge and emerged on the other side where several large, flat stones stood out of the river, making a stepping stone walkway to the shore.

She leapt gracefully onto the smooth surface of the rock. Her shadow floated over the clear, running water of the river, making dark shapes flick and flutter away underneath its surface. Her belly growled at the thought of fish. Finishing crossing, Speckledove walked along the bank until she met a dirt trail and followed it out of the woodland.

Early Green-leaf sunlight rained down in yellow rays hitting the open moors in a glowing, golden display. The warm fields ran about in small hills and warrens, only blurs of green over the edge of the grass and hazel gave away that there was more forest along the river.

The sun was still high in the sky and the trip wouldn't last to long if the medicine cat's pace was quick, so she headed out along the riverside. All of the rivers in the territories were connected to the place of the gathering, an island in front of a magnificent waterfall called Glory-Falls. Behind that waterfall was an opening that led through a thin tunnel directly towards a secret hollow. It was a magical place, a tree in the center with gnarled roots and long, flowing branches that glimmered like they had stars caught in them. But the most mysterious part was that the underground hollow had somehow grown the tree and grass in it without any sunlight, and that the tree had no bark or claw marks showing that it had been ripped off by claws of any creature that could have fit into the tunnel.

Speckledove hastily trotted next to the bank of the river until she met a path of stepping stones that led across the river as it forked. But she knew that if she would follow the river that led towards the falls she would be stuck at the edge of a cliff and have no way down. She had to take the long way, the way that led off a hill down into Shadeclan territory.

While padding about half way down the territory, the sound of splashing caught the medicine cat's ear. Turning, she pushed through a patch of reeds to see the shimmering river alive with jumping trout. A patrol of four cats sat at the edge on the opposite bank, it was made up of the two warriors Marigoldlight and Leafwhisker with their apprentices, Brookpaw and Fireflypaw. The apprentices crouched at the waters border, eying the trout with eager stares. Their mentors sat close by, watching the young cats fish. Marigoldlight lifted up her head and blinked a greeting when she spotted Speckledove on the other side of the river. Her tail waved at the medicine cat to join them and her green eyes, that matched her sister's, Honeystar, gleamed, almost saying out loud, _there's plenty!_

Speckledove couldn't help but pad up to them water's edge and crouch down. She wasn't supposed to eat right before seeing Starclan, but it was a long journey on a hot day and she could use the meal. A large fish soon swam close by as it traveled upstream, the she-cat then shot out a gray, speckled paw and swiped it out of the water. It flopped around wildly and the Medicine cat had to lift up both paws and bring them down with force in order to kill it. When she looked down at her catch she had to realize how HUGE it was. She would never be able to eat by herself. Yowling across the river, she called out the patrol.

"My catch is to much for myself, could I trade you for a smaller one?" One of the apprentices had caught a rather small one and brightened up at the thought of bringing home a bigger catch. But his sister already grabbed her medium sized cut-throat trout and slid into the river. She moved gracefully through the water with the fish parting away from her path as she went. When Fireflypaw emerged from the river, the water slid off her silky white pelt like a duck's feathers. Setting down her catch, she grabbed Speckledove's and nodded as the medicine cat blinked gratefully.

The she-cat crouched down and took a bite out of the plump fish, relishing in its flavor. The meat was soft and juicy and filled her stomach contently. Once she was finished, she licked her paw and ran in over her whiskers to remove any after substance. The sun was definitely lower in the sky and she slightly regretted taking so long to eat.

Speckledove's trotting melted into a jog as she reached the end the end of the golden hills and a steep dip fell into forest at the edge of Cloudclan territory. The forest was made of thickset pines and patches of where they weren't in the landscape told her where Shadeclan's marshes were. The clan was known for their stealthiness in the cover of the shadowed forest; they thrived on lizards and other animals they could find in the swamps caused by the river in their territory.

As she padded down the slope, a patch of bushes quivered as a Shadeclan border patrol padded out. It was lead by a orange she-cat with black stripes, and Speckledove instantly recognized the daughter of the leader of Shadeclan, Tigerlily. She was backed by three other warriors and an apprentice that looked a little older than Willowrain's kits, probably a newly apprenticed kit.

As the patrol padded to the border, hackles raised at the incoming cat, Tigerlily stopped and dipped her head respectfully as soon as she recognized the medicine cat of Cloudclan. The rest of her patrol soon followed, but the new apprentice spat aggressively at her with excitement in her eyes.

"Intruder! Let me have her Tigerlily, I'll make short work of this Cloudclan scum!" The apprentice was black-brown with black stripes and white tail and ear tips. She had an unusual white smudge on the center of her forehead and she had glistening green eyes.

"No Hollypaw," reprimanded her mentor, "This is the medicine cat of Cloudclan, Speckledove." The black apprentice shrank back at Tigerlily's words but still lashed her tail. Tigerlily turned to Speckledove.

"Have you come to see Salamanderspot?" she mewed smoothly.

The medicine cat shook her head, "No, I am heading to the Moon-Willow to share tongues with Starclan," Tigerlily widened her eyes with interest.

"Is something wrong? I hope there isn't anything bad happening in Cloudclan," The orange, striped she-cat sat down.

"Nothing is wrong with Cloudclan, I just need to speak with our ancestors," Speckledove twitched her ear irritably at the cat's fake concern.

"All right, safe journeys," she meowed, but as the patrol stalked away the gray speckled medicine cat caught something.

"Lets report this to my mother," Tigerlily hissed quietly, and her apprentice Hollypaw added a bit more loudly.

"Wait till Mothstar hears about this!"

It was a little past moonrise when Speckledove made it to Glory-Falls. The thunderous wall of water sped down into the swift river with a tremendous sound, making the ground shake as she padded up to it. The wet mist clung to her fur as she passed through a secret path behind the magnificent waterfall. Soon she met a tunnel opening.

The darkness engulfed the she-cat like a large black wave as it swept her into darkness. With only her whiskers to guide her, and her trust in Starclan, she traveled deeper into the earth.

The walls soon began to brush the top of her head and the whole world seemed to want to swallow her up. As soon as Speckledove's heart began to race with fear and uncertainty, the tilted path leveled out and a faint shimmer of light ahead announced the entrance to the hollow of stars.

A fluttering light fell onto the medicine cat's faint gray pelt as she entered, and she couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the site. A large tree, bark-less, smooth, and white, lay on a mound of grass covered earth at the center of the sky-less clearing. It had the long, swaying branches of a willow that shimmered with tiny stars. Its roots curved in and out of the ground around it, it curled and wrapped into a round shape in the ground on the front of the tree that held a crystal clear pool that glimmered like the branches of the willow. The ceiling was many, many tail lengths high, so high that it was only a black shadow, but luminescent patches of moss clung to the rock cover and looked from way below like stars in the night sky. In the center of the fake sky was a round crystal, clear but shadowed, it is said to lead all the way up to the bottom of the river, and it only glows when the moon is directly above it.

Speckledove padded under the still branches that hung downwards, the glitters twirling through the air as her pelt brushed by. She sat in the light glow and waited, it couldn't be long now before she would become one with Starclan for a short while, but she knew that since it wasn't the half moon or full moon, the connection would be weaker than most but not too weak that she couldn't see them.

There has been many stories of other clans, distant and unknown, but the each have their own StarClan and ways. Many stories she had heard of magical stones, waters, and mosses that connect the clans with their ancestors, but by far, this had to be the most dazzling of them all to her. And there she stood, right in the center of it all.

The strange glow that gave the room light soon faded and the only light was of the speckles of moss clumps on the ceiling and that twinkling branches of the tree. Within a few moments, a brilliant new light shed into the hollow. It was a white-blue glow that emanated from the new shining stone on the roof of the cave, it was a clear florescence that made one feel at a strange peace when bathed in its glory. Whispers brushed against Speckledove's ears, murmurs of welcomes and kindness.

The small pool that nestled in the roots of the tree began to glow with the same light, or was it just reflecting it? Twinkles of starlight danced in the pool and the amazed she-cat curled her paws underneath her, closed her eyes, and pressed her nose up to the water.

The pool was ice cold against her nose and she dove into darkness. The same cold surrounded her body for a moment before a warm light shed its glow onto her fur. When she had opened her eyes, she was surprised to find she was still in the hollow, but instead of walls of stone around her, there were ranks of star pelted cats, their colorful gazes resting on her.

When she stood and turned, she found the small pool had turned into a large pond and the willow wove its way around as a giant tree that's limbs reached up towards the star covered sky. She had only received visions from Starclan, or they had appeared in her dreams, never had she been to the gateway of the two worlds herself.

A brown tabby with wise, green eyes walked forward. Speckledove hardly recognized him, he walked forward with confident strides, his pelt smooth and fur dappled with stars, nothing like the sickly old cat that had once been her mentor. She dipped her head in respect at the Starclan cat, but his eyes only twinkled in amusement at the action.

"Have I suddenly gained all the world's wisdom in a few moons since I died?" the old medicine cat gave out a gruff laugh.

"I've missed you," Speckledove mewed to him, his green eyes glowed warmly.

"But you haven't come her for reunions," Grasswing's gaze dulled.

She nodded her head and looked around at the starry clan behind him before beginning to speak, "I need to know what the prophecy means, and what of Dawnkit? A cat borne into the world unlike any other? One that will never be seen as an equal as long as she carries those blasted wings on her back? What of the poor kit when the clan finds out? Will she ever become a warrior, an apprentice? I need to know why did Starclan let a being like this into existence, what is her purpose, and is linked to the prophecy you foretold?"

Grasswing closed his eyes and let out a faint murmur, "She is a cat unlike any other," when he opened them, his body was fading from his tail-tip onwards, till he was meagerly an outline of shimmering stars. Speckledove stepped back in surprise as the clearing faded out into darkness.

"No, don't leave me! Tell me what it means!" she only managed to yowl as the faint glimmer of her mentor's eyes faded away with everything. Next thing she knew, she was back in the cave, but she stood ridged in the center of it and realized that she was still dreaming.

It was silent, barely any light glowing from the moss. She attempted to move, but then a cold blast flew throughout the cave. _Wind?_ She thought in confusion, _How could wind be all the way down here?_

But the bitter cold wind kept coming. It rapped itself around the hollow in a freezing chill that was cold enough to break rocks. Speckledove found herself shivering as the harsh winter breeze dressed the hanging branches of the willow in spiked frost and laid a sheet of ice on its smooth branches. The soft grass turned brittle and the medicine cat's pelt spiked into frost covered quills on her body. A white ice crawled out of the tunnel and covered the only way out. She turned around and slammed her paws onto the frozen blockage, letting out a desperate yowl for help, but the ice only crept up her paws and she stumbled backwards in shock. The cold sheet climbed up the walls of the cave and covered it completely before spreading onto the floor. It came at a fast pace and Speckledove turned to run, but she only made it a couple steps away as it glued her paws to the floor. Slowly it crawled up her legs, but she only could watch in horror as she stood trapped. The ice continued to go on past her, and as the freezing grip inched its way up her neck, she saw the pool freeze over, and the Moon-Willow shatter into tiny shards on the floor, the gate way to Starclan's hunting grounds turned to a mere pile of ice.

 _The Last Dawn is upon us! Find the Sun's Final light or face the leaf-bare without end. A storm of hearts like ice shall rage across the land until the sun sets for good and the stars shall never gaze down at earth again. A night eternal of darkness and cold, find the light and save the clans! Or may the warmhearted be damned and the skies close for good._


	9. 1: Chapter 7

**OMG THE SUSPENSE! Just you wait, this one is even worse. That you all for the positive reviews! It makes me super happy! Jeebus, I can't wait for her kithood to end! After that it will get much more exciting! I love feed-back so keep 'em coming!**

 **Re: LolzCat- In this chapter it will introduce the other clans so hang tight!**

 **Re: Moonstar11- thank you and I can't wait to read your story!**

 **Love my fans, all of you! ~ EbonyFire**

Chapter 7

A soft voice woke Dawnkit from a dead sleep, and as she blinked around in the darkness, she realized that it was just before dawn. Gulping as she figured out she had slept in, she hurriedly brushed the bramble cover aside as she slipped out of the nursery.

"Dawnkit? Are you there?" Fireflypaw's voice was hushed.

"I am. Sorry about being asleep, and couldn't go to bed last night."

"What kept you up?"

"I was thinking about some cats and I decided I wanted to ask you something," she could hear Fireflypaw settling down onto the tunnel floor.

"Have you ever heard of winged cats?" Dawnkit had decided to ask her this question after another one of her sibling's bullying that previous day. All they had used were bird jokes and made fun of her wings. She thought that if any of the other winged warriors would have heard them they would have been stuck with elder duties for moons! But then a thought occurred to her, she hadn't seen a single one. When out on the roof of the nursery, all of the cats she thought would have wings, Yarrowfeather, Duskbird, and Tawnyrobin, had none when she saw them.

Then she began to wonder, after the couple moons she had been meeting Fireflypaw she had not mentioned winged cats in all of her stories. Were winged cats even in Cloudclan? Maybe they belonged to Rainclan or Meadowclan or Shadeclan, but not in Cloudclan. Or maybe they were a rare occurrence, and her littermates didn't know better. Or maybe, just maybe, she had some sort of illness and that's why she couldn't go out of the nursery. That idea scared her the most so she decided she was going to ask Fireflypaw about it.

"Winged cats?" the white apprentice echoed in surprise, "What about winged cats?"

"Well I just am wondering because..." she broke off and Fireflypaw took that as a memo to continue.

"Well I have heard something about winged cats," she mewed.

"You have?" Dawnkit felt a sparkle of hope, maybe they were just uncommon in Cloudclan.

"Back when I was a kit, there were more elders. When an epidemic of Greencough hit, many died. That's why most of our warriors are siblings and are pretty young, the older ones were taken by the illness," she sighed, "One of the first cats to die when it barely started was my sister Tigerkit. She had been my only sister but being the runt of the litter caused her to become the first to go. But enough of that, let me tell you about what I know of winged cats."

Dawnkit sat down and listened eagerly as she begun, "Back before the Greencough epidemic hit, there were 3 more elders. They were the oldest in the clan and had carried stories for generations to come. One day my brother, Tigerkit, and me, had gone to see them to here a story. They had told us many but today my sister wanted a new one," she purred with amusement, "The only ones I would hear had to be about Racingstar and the she-bear. I guess I let off a bit when I stayed to listen. So here it starts... It all began when the clans first were created. They had traveled far and grew in number from where they first came from, caring their traditions and virtues with every generation. But they knew they needed a home soon. So the cats had to choose which way to go when they met a large mountain range. Many said, 'It may have a home for us,' but others said, 'It will lead us to our deaths! We will travel through and starve to death as the eagles pick us off one by one!' So the group split up, one quarter deciding to go away from the mountains and the rest going through. The journey was hard, and many cats died, but in the end they were faced with a single option as they met sheer rock walls that no cat could climb. They had followed the river all the way through the mountains. Finding prey nearest to it in the harsh leaf-bare. The cats cried and thought that they would never make it through, but the river had frozen over deeper in the tunnel and so with the strong caring the weak, they made it into the valley. It was the safest place in the world, rivers falling off the mountain walls into glorious rivers that fed all the cats. They all connected to one point called Glory-Falls, and every cat was happy. Come spring, the first litter of kittens was born. Their mother had named each she-kit something of the the land. 'May this kit with a pelt of white be named Cloud,' she mewed, 'For they carry the rain to this land and make it rich. May this kit of gray fur be named Rain, for without the rain the meadows and fields may never have grown. May this kit of cream fur be named Meadow. For the meadow gives us prey for us to eat. And may this kit of black be named Shade. For the trees of this land shelter us and give us rest for the thousands of moons we and our ancestors have traveled. For we have made it the valley of stars.' And these four kits were blessed as the first of the valley's and each had a pair of wings on their backs. The cats celebrated and hunted in the vast territory, but over the moons more kits had been born there and the cats had began to forget their heritage, the code and Starclan becoming only a fable. The four siblings were loved by all but they became distant. Fights started among the ever growing cats and blood was shed over meager prey. Something had to be done. The four cats had to find a way to speak with their ancestors. So one day they each got a dream telling them to meet in the center of the territory. Once they had met at Glory-Falls they paused and waited. But a faint feeling made them think this was not the center, so Rain had set out and behind the waterfall they found an opening. 'A passage!' Shade exclaimed. 'Should we follow it?' Cloud had questioned. 'What other choice to we have?' Meadow had meowed. So they each padded down and down, deeper into the earth then they had ever known. It is said that they had met the gateway of Starclan and our world down there, a giant tree filled with stars and a crystal on the roof of the mystic cave, but only the Leaders and Medicine cats know, for any other cat that enters the passage will only find a room filled with steaming waters at the end of the tunnel. And so our ancestors retold them of the code and said that if the cats were to survive they would need to replant their roots and become four clans once more. So each of the sisters were renamed, Dawnstar, who was Cloud, Duskstar, who was Shade, Sunstar, who was Meadow, and Moonstar, who had been Rain. So all of the cats separated into four groups when the new leaders had told them what their ancestors had said. The cats of darker pelts who could see well in the shadows and were as silent as the night joined Shadeclan. The cats who loved the sunlight and fields, who hunted well in the long grass and flowers and had lighter pelts joined Meadowclan. The cats who had gray pelts that blended with stone and could swim even better than the fishes joined Rainclan. And those who had pelts of the forest and heather, the cats who were faster than rabbits but as strong and braver than badgers joined our clan, Cloudclan. And some even say that an heir of all of the leaders, since they had been sisters, will be granted wings like them and rule the clans as one for a brief sunrise. But that's just an old kit tale."

Dawnkit just lay there stunned, could it be possible that _she_ was the heir? But that couldn't be possible, she had non-winged parents and they couldn't have ever been related to Cloud. So maybe it was just the fact that she was also born in spring, maybe that was why. Maybe she had been born on the first minute of spring and her siblings hadn't. Boy would they get jealous when she told them that she was just like the first leaders of the four clans! But then they would question her on how she knew this story and she would get in trouble. So she would say nothing even if she wanted to.

"Th-thanks for telling me this story Fireflypaw," Dawnkit stammered.

"No problem," she mewed with a cheery tone, "But enough of that, I have something funny to tell you!"

Dawnkit shook off her shock and mewed in curiosity. Soon Fireflypaw filled her in on what was happening in the clan's life. She spoke of how Bramblefoot caught a cold and now the elder was grumpier than ever, and how her brother Brookpaw had gotten his nose pinched when he nudged a crawdad down by the river. This was always the favorite part of Dawnkit's day, and her regular routine of seeing her friend had given her an auto-pilot wake up call when it was around dawn.

Suddenly when Fireflypaw began to talk about how Mothstar of Shadeclan had barely warned Cloudclan about a fox that they drove out moons ago, probably the one that attacked Rosetail, at the gathering, she stopped mid-sentence.

"Firefly-"

"Shh," she hissed. Then, several bushes rustled on the other side of Dawnkit's bushes and a new voice entered the picture.

"Fireflypaw? What are you doing here?" Dawnkit immediately recognized it and shrank back farther towards the nursery.

"I just thought I saw a snake," Fireflypaw mewed flatly to the newcomer, but unease was easily found in her tone. Dawnkit's paws began to sweat and her heart raced with adrenaline, "But it was just a, a stick. There's no need to worry Speckledove,"

Dawnkit could smell the herb scent of the medicine cat from back where she stood. Would she look under the bushes for herself? Could this be the end of their friendship?

"If you say so," Speckledove sounded quizzical but she just padded on past. Dawnkit could hear the drag in her paws and the tiredness in the medicine cat's voice. As soon as she was gone, Fireflypaw gasped in relief.

"I totally forgot last night was the half moon! That was to close!" Dawnkit couldn't help but also sigh.

"Look, I got to go. See you tomorrow Dawnkit," Dawnkit mewed her own goodbye and then crawled back into her own den.

She sat down and pulled her wings closer as she contemplated what the story meant, but her thoughts were interrupted by shrill mews and the cream colored kit then sat up excitedly. Once she padded into the main nursery, she spotted Tadpolekit, Fawnkit, and Turtlekit playing a game of catch the rouge.

"Get him!" Turtlekit yowled out as he pounced towards his brother who turned tail and ran.

"Quiet down you three, the rest of us are trying to sleep," Rosetail mewed gently before laying her head back on her paws. As soon as Dawnkit strode forwards all three kits turned and squeaked her name.

"Dawnkit!" she soon toppled over by the force of Fawnkit and Turtlekit bowling into her. Tadpolekit, the more quiet of the three, sat and smiled while Dawnkit struggled to keep the other kits off her.

To the siblings, Dawnkit was like a big sister. They each looked up to her, and even though they were only two moons old, they grew quickly. Turtlekit was bulkier than his siblings and his tail was only half as long as it should be, it was also a bit thicker too. Tadpolekit was the runt and he shared the same kind of tail, but Fawnkit was more lanky and fast who had no tail.

"Why are you guys up so early?" Dawnkit gasped as she hauled herself out from underneath her foster-siblings. They looked at each other excitedly.

"We couldn't sleep," Turtlekit pawed at the ground.

"Yeah, we were just to excited because tod-" Fawnkit was swiftly cut by, surprisingly, Tadpolekit.

"We get to go explore the camp!" Fawnkit beamed with her bright smile and Tadpolekit's emerald eyes sparkled while Turtlekit flexed his claws on the soft ground.

The litter had been kept in for 2 moons because Rosetail was worried they would fall in the river, but even after they promised they wouldn't she still had worry in her expression, as if she had another thing keeping them from leaving the nursery in her mind. Another fear, but of what?

"Cottonkit and Walnutkit said they would show us around but we want you to!" Fawnkit squeaked, "They can be meanies, especially since they are going to be apprentices soon."

Dawnkit felt a knot form in her throat, she couldn't do it even if she begged to. But that wasn't the only reason it was there, just the reminder of her siblings becoming apprentices also offset her. With it came that constant fear of whether or not she would become one to, or forever be trapped in the nursery until she was to big to fit out of the exit of her tiny den.

"You- you guys," she interrupted as they started to talk excitedly about what all four of them would do together, "You guys, I can't go out with you."

They stopped. Tadpolekit turned and looked at Dawnkit worriedly, but the other two just gaped with disappointment, "Are you not feeling well?"

The little black kit had always spoken with Speckledove whenever she came to check up on Dawnkit. He was interested in the smells on her pelt and which herbs she used, but she was usually so wrapped up in checking on her patient that she took little notice to Tadpolekit.

"I'm fine Tadpoley, I'm just not allowed out. Tha-that's all," she stared at her paws in order to avoid the gazes of the crestfallen kits.

"Are you in trouble?" Fawnkit asked.

"I'm sure mama will let you out for something as important as this!" Turtlekit said determinedly.

Dawnkit wished it was that easy. She just shook her head and Fawnkit and Tadpolekit let out a long, sad "Aaaawwww..." but their brother just huffed.

Then, a similar feeling filled Dawnkit, a feeling she hadn't felt since her foster-siblings were born. A tricky, rebellious idea forming in her mind sent this through her.

"Actually, I have an idea," she said in a hushed mew, pulling the three closer, "While you guys are out, I could follow you until you are alone and we could explore the camp together,"

 _while I scurry through the bushes to hide,_ she silently added.

"Really?" Fawnkit mewed happily and Dawnkit placed her tail over her muzzle.

"Quiet! Yes really, I-I'm sure if I'm caught I'll be in huge trouble. So this has to be super secret, okay?" All three kits shook their head vigorously, "Good," she sighed, "Rosetail will be up in a minute so once you get the chance when your out there, meet me by the elder's den."

Soon enough, Rosetail was awake and the camp sounds were drifting through the veil of ivy at the entrance. She instructed the three to stay close to the inner camp and be polite once they met their father.

Dawnkit waited a bit after they left and the ivy stopped swishing. Willowrain was beginning to fidget and she would be up along with her kits soon. So with a deep breath, she sprinted through the nursery entrance.

The ivy lightly brushed her face and and the unfiltered light made the kit squint her bright blue eyes as she exited the den. In front of her was a short tunnel of ferns, their fronds dipping low with the dew collected on their leaves. Beyond them Dawnkit could see the green grass of the clearing and the small patch of bushes were the fresh-kill was held. The sounds of the river much louder and close up.

The sound of pawsteps behind her made the kit leap into the ferns, shaking the dew droplets off in a small shower. She backed up into some bushes behind the ferns as Willowrain padded out of the den, her eyes were squinting in the sunlight and her kits play tussled as they followed her out. Letting out a long sigh, Dawnkit turned and made her way into the bushes.

From outside of them, Dawnkit could see that strait ahead was the Sandy Bank where the Sun Rocks were. On her other side she could peek into the clearing where the warriors were preparing for another patrol after the Dawn-Patrol returned. Dawnkit was amazed how big everything was, it seemed much smaller from the Nursery's roof.

 _Uh oh,_ Dawnkit thought, _I wanted to meet by the elder's den because they were old and had no sense of smell!_ But the elder's den was across from the sandy bank, which had no bushes and was wide open other than the low, flat Sun Rocks.

"This is going to be tricky," she murmured under her breath. The sound of her foster-mother's voice redirected her attention and she turned to peek her head through the bushes.

"Here comes your father now, remember what I told you," Rosetail was bent over her kits as Brackenheart strode out of the warrior's den. He looked tired but immediately perked up once he spotted his kits. With bright eyes he trotted over to greet his family.

"Finally," he mewed as he rubbed his cheek against Rosetail's, but as he looked down at his kits, his eyes suddenly lost their spark. Rosetail's neck slightly spiked up in a little panic and she quickly mewed to him.

"Just like I told you, and look, Turtlekit and Tadpolekit have your mother's eyes," she tried to sound convincing but it didn't change his expression.

When his kits looked up at him with expectant expressions he forced a smile and choked out, "They're, perfect."

They seemed glad with this and started mewing to him about how cool he looked and how they heard he was the best hunter in the forest, he smiled at this and talked with them but avoided gazes with his mate. To the side, a certain cat exchanged glances with Rosetail and when he spotted the kits, turned away but puffed out his chest a little more.

Rosetail then told the kits to go play and tried to speak with Brackenheart, but he just turned away and growled something. She gazed at him desperately but he just padded off to join a hunting patrol.

Soon, all of the kits began to head towards the elder's den. _I have to get there!_ Dawnkit was nervous about being in the open, but if she was fast enough, and she was fast, she could get over there without being noticed.

Dawnkit crouched down at the edge of the bushes, her muscles were tense and she thought for a moment that her body wouldn't let her run. But with a silent _GO!_ she burst forward into the sunlight.

Her paws carried her fast over the sand and grass sending little clouds of dust behind her. Dawnkit held her wings close to her body in order to avoid air resistance, even though she didn't realize that was why. The wind soared past her and something sparked inside of her, and with a sudden want she hadn't felt before, she did something unexpected.

Dawnkit leapt into the air and stretched open her wings. They soon caught wind and as it flowed between her tawny feathers she smiled widely. It felt amazing. She lifted up off the ground and glided for only a few moments before landing into a fluttering crash in the reeds on the other side of the Sandy Bank.

Dawnkit lay awkwardly with her wings ruffled and outstretched, rump in the air, and her back against a tree trunk. She burst out laughing. She couldn't help it, and as she lay down on her belly snorting and giggling some voices broke out.

"Hey, did you see that?" Dawnkit shut her muzzle and suddenly froze, "It sort of looked like a squirrel."

"Why would it be a squirrel you dumb furball? It obviously tried to take flight, maybe its an injured bird."

"But you saw the way it ran right? It had four legs."

"You're also obviously blind if you think squirrels can fly, its an injured bird."

"You check the bushes and see then, and then we'll see who is blind."

"Fine, but you get to go on my next Dawn-Patrol if I'm right."

Dawnkit just shrank back against the tree ridged and tense, they saw her. Maybe if she was still enough, maybe if she was quiet enough they would go. Then, another voice piped up.

"Uh, you shouldn't go and look there. I, um, saw it fly, er, run away," _Fawnkit! She's trying to stop them!_ Dawnkit realized.

"Well I'm still checking, I have a bet with this fox-breath," _No! No please!_

"You really shouldn't-" but the kit was cut off.

Then, the reeds quivered and a white head poked through, looking directly at Dawnkit.


	10. 1: Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 so soon?! :O, well I couldn't leave you guys hanging! (Really I was just excited to start this one and I'm pretty impatient.) I'm really happy that you guys all like this! Here's some extra info. Who is the cat Honeystar trusts most? Well that cat is Yarrowfeather, they were apprentices together and even though he is very remote, she was able to crack him and found his true colors, as he did her's. Deep down she hopes that they will be mates one day. Also, Honeystar has a bit of an attitude when she's mad if you haven't noticed! Enjoy this next chapter, it's a juicy one! ~EbonyFire**

Chapter 8

"It's a... kit?" The cat mewed. For a moment, Dawnkit had hoped it was Fireflypaw since she said she was white also, but this cat sounded much older and had brilliant, crystal blue eyes.

Dawnkit's eyes were stretched wide and her wings were tucked behind her back as she hid them. Behind her was a dark grey tom with darker speckles, like a darker, male version of Speckledove, minus the pretty plus the handsome.

"Who's kit is this?" said the tom, "I don't recognize it." The three kits stood next to him frozen in fear, probably thinking they would be in big trouble, but Dawnkit knew they didn't even know the gravity of how much trouble.

"I know all the kits, maybe this one is from another clan?" the she-cat with blue eyes had one ear tilted towards him, Dawnkit guessed it was probably because she was partially deaf, which was common in white cats with blue eyes.

"And how did it get all the way into our territory and then cross all the rivers to get to camp?" the tom retorted, "We better bring it to Honeystar."

"No!" the kits screeched as they ran in front of Dawnkit, "You can't do that!"

The she-cat sat down and tilted her head at the siblings, "Why? What do you know about this?"

Each of the kits looked at each other nervously and Fawnkit stepped up.

"You can't because she's our sister! Dawnkit will be in HUGE trouble!" the grey tom furrowed his brow.

"Sister?" he scoffed, "She's moons old than you! She looks the size of a new apprentice!"

Turtlekit frowned and stepped up with a growl, "Yes she is! She cares for us and we just wanted to explore camp with her!"

"Yeah! You can't take her away or Rosetail and Papa will get really mad!" Tadpolekit finally piped in.

"Rosetail? Brackenheart? What do they know about this?" the she-cat turned to the grey tom and he shrugged. She looked back down at the kits, "I still have to bring her to Honeystar, I would like to hear what she knows about this. You three can go get your parents, Willowrain too, we need to all speak."

Originally Azuregaze, the white she-cat, supposed that they had adopted the kit and hadn't told the clan yet, Starclan knows why, until she grabbed the kit off the ground.

"Come on you, er, Dawnkit," she mewed as she lifted up the kit up by her scruff, that movement shook Dawnkit out of her dazed fear and she began to mew and struggle in her grasp, all while flapping her wings wildly. The white she-cat stumbled backwards in surprise as she dropped the little cream kit.

"What are those?!" the grey tom exclaimed.

"A-are those w-wings?" stammered Azuregaze.

The tom turned to her, "We have to take her to Honeystar immediately," the white she-cat shakily nodded and nudged the little kit. She looked at her foster-siblings with wide pleading eyes but said nothing and moved along.

Soon enough the three kits had gathered Rosetail and Willowrain, but Brackenheart was on a hunting-patrol. The grey tom strode towards their leader when he spotted her in the dip where meetings were called, she was speaking to Leafwhisker, her deputy.

"Honeystar," he looked at her seriously.

"Hello Drizzlefur, what is it?" she rested her green eyes on him but then she looked at the group of cats behind him First at the queens, then the kits, and then Azuregaze, and finally the little shape at her paws with her head hung low and wings drooped and dragging on the ground. Honeystar's pelt immediately bristled and she opened her mouth to say something but Leafwhisker spoke first.

"Who is that kit?" Honeystar turned to look at him, anxiety plaguing her expression and he then caught on, "Honeystar, is that the sickly kit you spoke of?" his green eyes were narrowed.

"I-"

"You _know_ about this kit!? Why doesn't the clan know!" Azuregaze looked furious and spat out at her leader making Dawnkit flinch.

"I thought it was about time I would introduce her to the clan, but I wasn't sure. I needed time to think."

" _Think_?! Well you've had six moons to have been thinking!" Drizzlefur padded over to her and wrapped his tail around her's.

"Calm down," he whispered in her ear, she looked into his eyes and let her fur lie flat.

Honeystar closed her eyes and then looked to Leafwhisker, who was just now realizing that the kit had wings and was staring wide eyed. "Go get Speckledove," the deputy tore his eyes away from the kit and nodded before rushing over to the little island that held the medicine den.

"Let me speak to you all behind my den-"

"But!-" Drizzlefur placed his tail over Azuregaze's muzzle but he nodded at her and flicked his ear at Honeystar.

"No," he meowed to his leader, "We want to talk here, we want all the clan here."

She looked at him warily through narrowed eyes, "Fine then."

Speckledove was now padding over behind the deputy with ruffled, messy fur and tired eyes.

"This better be serious, I was just resting after my trip to the Moon-Willo-" her eyes widened and she fluffed out her fur as she spotted Dawnkit, "No..." she spat quietly.

"It was bound to happen Speckledove," the golden she-cat walked over Clan-Branch and leapt onto the fallen log. Rosetail pushed her way through the cats and rushed over to Dawnkit who was shivering in fear.

"Shh love, it'll be okay" She wrapped her tail around the little kit and herded her over the the fallen log that was propped up against a boulder, one of its branches jutting out over the meeting hollow which was called the Clan-Branch.

Soon all the kits were with Dawnkit at her side except Cottonkit and Walnutkit, who were sitting beside their mother with looks of disgust on all of their faces.

"All cats old enough to swim the river and run the moors gather underneath the Clan-Branch for an important meeting!" Honeystar's yowl from atop the Clan-Branch reached all across the island camp and soon all cats had exited their dens and the returned hunting patrol set their catch in the fresh-kill pile to join them. Acornstep sat down next to his mate and asked her what was going on but she just narrowed her eyes and he sat down, confused.

Honeystar scanned the meeting hollow to confirm that everyone was there before she began to speak, "I have important news for all of you that is much overdue," Cats gazed up at her curiosity and she continued, "About six moons ago, a kit had been born on the exact moment of the Sun's going out," a few cats gasped, "When she was born she was obviously, well, different. Her name is Dawnkit and was off Willowrain's litter."

"You're what?!" Acornstep turned to his mate, "This was the lie Speckledove said? You said that it was an excuse! Why wouldn't you tell me we had another kit?!" she turned and spat at him, making him step back in surprise.

"That thing isn't my kit!" Dawnkit started to shake from behind her foster-mother's tail.

"This kit has something that are medicine cat has defined as not a health issue, but none the less never seen before. Dawnkit, please step forward." Honeystar turned to Rosetail.

Dawnkit nervously glanced at Rosetail and she nodded and lifted her tail, nudging her adopted kit forward. As Dawnkit padded forward all the cats grew silent.

"What does it mean?"

"How horrible!"

"Poor kit..."

"Disgusting!"

"Is that thing even a cat?!"

Dawnkit shrank down to the hollow floor, wishing the earth would just swallow her up.

"You can see why we hid her," Honeystar was even glaring at the kit, "We need to decide her fate in this clan."

"Kill her!" screeched Willowrain, "She isn't even a cat! Starclan will have our clan cursed if she stays!" that offset many cats and they started murmuring and glancing at Dawnkit worriedly. Dawnkit started to shiver violently in fear.

"Lets give her up at the gathering! See if any other clan will take her!" one cat added after a long pause of nervous whispers.

"Lets banish her before it's to late!"

"Lets throw her in the river!" even Cottonkit and Walnutkit were crying out what to do with Dawnkit, but their father just stared at them in surprise. But even he looked down at the little cream kit with disgust and anger.

"Silence! Enough! Do you not see that it would be against the code if we did any of those things to her?" Honeystar growled. Suddenly, a familiar voice rose up.

"We can't hurt her! I won't let you!" every cat turned to stare at the cat who had said this, when the crowd parted, Dawnkit spotted the cat with a flicker of hope.

"Fireflypaw?" Duskbird, Fireflypaw's mother, looked at her kit with confusion and worry.

The albino she-cat stepped forward, "You can't harm her! For the past two moons I have been meeting her outside the nursery, I've met her and I know what she is like! She's just like any other cat, she has a kind heart and is funny and curious! I asked Dawnkit to come out and show herself to the clan, but she always said no. And now I know why. Why would you treat her differently? Just because she has, well, wings doesn't mean that she is some sort of monster!"

Fireflypaw never knew about the little kit's wings, but that just shed light onto the situation of why she wouldn't leave the nursery. And within the short time of realization, the white apprentice had already accepted it. Maybe it was the fact she had already been different, being that she was the only albino cat in the clan, or maybe it was just that she had a short dream of a little cream kit with wings moons ago but never understood it.

"This kit is just a weakness to the clan, her difference will bring her down and she will become a burden," Honeystar's response was not of anger towards the kit, but of curiosity of what the white apprentice's reaction would be to this statement.

"Azuregaze is half-deaf!" Fireflypaw said and flicked her ear at the other white she-cat, "But we trained her to be a strong warrior and a great hunter! Why couldn't we do the same for Dawnkit? Sure she is different in an entirely new way, but we are smart! With practice, training, and a ready mind we could over come this hill and she could be an asset, not a burden!"

Some cats murmured in agreement but others stayed silent and glared at the kit with malice. Finally, Honeystar spoke up.

"I find your idea very interesting, young apprentice, and I must agree," some cats yowled out in outrage, but the leader silenced them with a swish of her tail, "This is a kit we're talking about, how could we do something so horrible to her," she looked down a Dawnkit, "The most we could some this up to would be a rare birth defect, and we have had warriors with worse. We would need to have a great, dependable mentor to have her trained, but the aspect of her becoming a warrior is not impossible."

Dawnkit started to raise her head up and she looked a little bit happier but Willowrain's angry yowl made her flinch back down to the ground.

"How could you even _think_ she could become a warrior!? She's an ugly, horrid, unnatural, _monster!_ " Honeystar silenced her with a hiss.

"You may have your own opinions, but this is _my_ decision. So you should be silent and accept my choices even if you do not agree with them. Is that _clear_?" Willowrain spat and sat back down.

"Then this meeting is adjourned, she will become an apprentice when time comes, and that will be soon. Any who disagree," she glanced down at Willowrain, "are obliged to keep their muzzles shut. This kit will have a place in this clan even if some do not see this as alright. She will not have all the privileges that we do, but enough so that she will be happy. This is finale," Honeystar then leaped off the Clan-Branch and spoke shortly to Rosetail before turning to Speckledove and padding off with her.

Dawnkit felt every stare burn into her pelt as they all got a last look at her and turned away to leave the meeting. Willowrain's eyes were burning with a hatred as she left and she turned to spit one last thing at the family.

"I hope you're _happy_." Dawnkit stepped back and gazed up at her foster-mother once her birth-mother had gone away.

"Will I be okay?" Rosetail's gaze was kind and hopeful.

"Yes love, you will be," she rested her head on top of Dawnkit's and meowed, "You will be okay..." Dawnkit nuzzled her foster-mother's neck fur and buried her face into it, comforted by the sound of her heartbeat.

Something told Dawnkit this was only the beginning. Of what? That was still unknown, but not far.


	11. 1: Chapter 9

**I really enjoyed writing this chapter! Here comes a new adventure!**

 **Hope you all enjoy! ~EbonyFire**

Chapter 9

Dawnkit woke up to the faint murmur of camp life drifting through the nursery. _Oh No!_ She immediately thought and shot shot upwards only to hit the low ceiling of her den. _Did I miss meeting Fireflypaw?_ Then as she rubbed a paw on her bumped head, she remembered what happened. The clan knew about her now and there was no reason to see Fireflypaw in secret anymore. _Or stay in the nursery anymore_ Dawnkit realized.

After she groomed her ruffled fur and shortly preened her feathers, she padded into the main nursery to speak with Rosetail.

"Um, Rosetail?" the queen opened her eyes and looked at the kit.

"Yes Dawnkit?"

"Can I go, um, out... outside?" the dark brown she-cat closed her eyes and smiled with a nod, but as she re-opened them Dawnkit could also sense worry coming from her, "Be careful, don't get under cat's paws okay?"

Dawnkit nodded her head happily, "Okay!"

Rosetail forced a purr, "Have fun love."

The cream colored she-kit turned tail and raced towards the nursery entrance. Outside, the warm green-leaf air made her sigh with joy, it was so much better than the stuffy little cave she slept in. The clearing was alive with warm yellow rays that made the she-kit's creamy pelt glow golden.

She trotted out into the open and then suddenly become self-conscious as every cat's attention turned towards her. The air was silent, just crackling with the tense atmosphere. Awkwardly the kit shuffled over to the fresh-kill pile only to find her foster-siblings sharing a chaffinch and a mouse.

"Dawnkit!" Tadpolekit mewed as she approach them with relief, "You can come out now?"

Dawnkit smiled, "Rosetail said it would be fine, now that everybody..." she trailed off and the kits could guess what she meant.

"You want to share?" Turtlekit asked and he nudged the half eaten mouse carcass towards her.

"No thanks, I'll get my own," Dawnkit was actually pretty skinny since she rarely ate, so when she got a whole pigeon to herself, she ate like a badger. But the prey was just a bit to large for her stomach so she decided she would ask someone else if they wanted it.

Over in front of the apprentice den, a young grey tom was lying in the sun washing himself. Dawnkit quickly realized that he must be Brookpaw, Fireflypaw's brother. Surely being the kind cat's brother would make him nice also? So she picked up her partially eaten prey and carried it over to him.

"Erm, Brookpaw?" she set down her prey and he looked down at her with wide eyes, "Would you like to have the rest of my fresh-kill? It was a little to big-"

"Eat _your_ leftovers? And get poisoned with your tainted self? I would rather face the dark forest than eat with the likes of _you,_ " His sudden growling response made Dawnkit pull back her ears in shock, why was he so rude to her? Surely he had to agree with his sibling? But then Dawnkit thought about Cottonkit and Walnutkit, no, not all siblings got along.

She reached down to grab her fresh-kill when a paw shot out in front of her making her leap back in surprise as it grabbed her prey. When she looked up, she saw that Duskbird had grabbed it. Brookpaw's mother look down at the kit in disdain and growled.

"We want no cat to have your bad blood spread to them, I'll go dispose of this prey before you plague the rest of us," she turned and padded a barren spot in which she buried the pigeon out of sight.

When she imagined going out and finally joining the clan she had no idea it would be like this. Being pointed out as a freak and a burden was not what Dawnkit ever had in mind that they would treat her, at least only in her nightmares she would imagine this happening.

 _They're all like Cottonkit and Walnutkit!_ She thought with horror, _They're all the same!_ Dawnkit turned to run but Honeystar's yowl from atop the Clan-Branch halted her in her path.

"Let all cats old enough to swim the river and run the moors join underneath the Clan-Branch for a Clan meeting!" all of the cats started to leave what they were doing and padded over to the meeting hollow. Dawnkit choose a spot to sit down and every cat around her shuffled away from her, leaving her in a lonely circle.

She then noticed Cottonkit's brown, white streaked fur and Walnutkit's golden-brown fur shining up in the front of the throng of cats. They looked well groomed and sleek, and both of their parents were sitting on either side of them with pride.

Suddenly, Dawnkit knew why the meeting had been called. She urgently leapt up and several cats around her flinched, she then ambled more slowly over to Rosetail and the dark brown she-cat looked down at her with surprise.

"Oh just look at you! Didn't anyone tell you you would become an apprentice today?" she felt her foster-mother's tongue rasp over her pelt in a hurried fashion. So it was true, today she _did_ become an apprentice today. Dawnkit started to lash her tail with excitement, _I'm gonna become a warrior!_ So many wonderful ideas started to race through her head and she made a silent vow that she would become the best warrior she could be.

"I've gathered you all here today for an important ceremony that marks the path for new warriors in the clan," the golden furred leader began, "Today we shall name 3 new apprentices!"

"Wait what?! Mama I don't want her to ruin my ceremony!" Cottonkit whined at Willowrain with her little tail twitching irritably. Dawnkit began to feel nervous.

"Yeah Mama, she always ruins everything! We don't want her to be an apprentice right now!" Walnutkit's whine was also joining his sister's and Willowrain faced Honeystar and began to open her jaws but Acornstep interrupted.

"It is Honeystar's choice, and if you want to be good warriors you will follow what your leader says until the day you become one." Willowrain looked at her mate in shock and the kits just looked up at their father with, at first, disappointment, but then excitement at the thought of becoming leader.

"Then let us begin," Honeystar took the moment to continue, "Walnutkit, Cottonkit, Dawnkit, please step up to the Clan-Branch," Cottonkit and Walnutkit raced up but Dawnkit followed at a slower, more cautious pace since all cats had eyes on her.

"I call down our Warrior Ancestors to witness the start of three new warriors. Kits, do you promise to train hard in the ways of the warrior code and protect your clan even at the cost of your life?" Each kit nodded proudly, Dawnkit's siblings not even caring that she stood next to them anymore, "Then from this day forward until you all earn your warrior names who shall be known as Cottonpaw, Walnutpaw, and Dawnpaw."

Cats began to murmur the new apprentices names encouragingly, even a few Dawnpaws were in the mix, probably said by her foster family and Fireflypaw.

"Walnutpaw, your mentor will be Littleleap, it's about time that you have gotten an apprentice," Walnutpaw padded over to the center of the new apprentices, and once the brown tabby padded up to them, they touched noses. But as he rejoined his sister he muttered about why did he have to get the weak one.

"Cottonpaw, your mentor shall be Azuregaze, train well together," Cottonpaw eagerly touched noses with the pretty she-cat and sat down smugly with her brother who was huffing with frustration.

"Lastly, Dawnpaw, your mentor will be..." Honeystar interlocked her gaze with a certain tom and paused a moment. Who would it be? Tansyblossom looked nice, she never looked at Dawnpaw like she was a vile creature. Or maybe it would be Marigoldlight? She was a bit judgey but she was understanding. No, she already had Brookpaw. Then who would it be?

"Your mentor will be Yarrowfeather," Dawnpaw widened her eyes in horror. Him?! He constantly frowns and is _giant_! He intimidated her from his slitted yellow eyes and broad shoulders to his long claws and silent nature. You could never tell what he was thinking, and it was probably something not very nice!

 _Oh why this guy?!_ She thought, and her two siblings looked at her in spite with curled lips.

"No wonder you get the toughest mentor, he gonna super hard on you _Worm-Breath_ ," both apprentices were scoffing at her with huffed laughs.

"I heard he made his last apprentice leap off of Glory-Falls," now Dawnpaw was extremely nervous. Why couldn't fate be kind kind for once?

She was shaking in her paws as she touched noses with the bulky brown tom. Dawnpaw searched his expression for what he felt about this but he showed nothing. As she sat back down she couldn't help but pray, _Starclan help me!_

The clan then began to chant the new apprentice's names in glee, all but Dawnpaw's other than her foster-family and Fireflypaw saying it.

"I have one more thing to announce," some cats looked surprised, but others just looked wary, "Dawnpaw," the cream colored apprentice looked up at her leader, "As I said before, you will not get as many privileges as us, so it must be said that you are not allowed out of Cloudclan's inner territory at any time. You shall not go any where near the borders and your mentor will set a reasonable limit to your exploring. Is this clear?"

Dawnpaw looked at her leader in disappointment, why not? Why can't she go to the borders? Are they afraid that she will run away? But then she knew, they didn't want the other clans to see her. That would bring scorn to her clan, so she lowered her head in shame and nodded slowly while her mentor just blinked.

"Good, meeting adjourned," Honeystar leapt off the Clan-Branch and the rest of the clan spread apart to continue what they were doing. Dawnpaw's foster-family then raced up to her.

"Congratulations Dawnpaw," Rosetail mewed, "I'm proud of you," she licked the new apprentice's head with her sandpaper tongue and Dawnpaw couldn't help but purr with her.

"I wish we could be apprentices now!" Turtlekit was racing around Dawnpaw and his siblings were congratulating her along with their mother.

"We better get going," the deep, gruff meow of Yarrowfeather made her turned from her happy family. He was looking at her expectantly, not harshly, but then again, he always looked a little harsh. Dawnpaw said her good-byes to her family and followed the Hefty tom through the fern tunnel.

"You have a lot to learn," he kept walking as he said this and Dawnpaw tried to sense if there was any kindness in his tone, but as usual, he was to hard to read.

But Dawnpaw didn't care if he was or not, because today was the day she would hunt, fight, and explore _most_ of the territory for the first time. And she couldn't forget that today was the day she was one step closer to finally becoming a warrior.


	12. 1: Chapter 10

**OH MY STARCLAN CHAPTER 10 ALREADY?!**

 **Thank you all for the support! :3 ~EbonyFire**

Chapter 10

The pair exited the fern tunnel to reveal the river. It ran smoothly around the giant, flat rocks that made up the stepping-bridge to the island camp. Ahead of them Dawnpaw could spot Cottonpaw and Walnutpaw with their mentors heading down the same path at a distance. She secretly hoped she would be not doing whatever they would be doing. She did not want to train even close to them.

"Follow me," Yarrowfeather instructed as they got to the opposite bank. He then took a turn on another dirt trail through the woods.

"These trails have been used for many centuries by our clan," he said to her, "So much so that the paws padded here have worn away the plants and our prints are forever imbedded in the earth."

Dawnpaw marveled at the simple dirt path as if it was made of stars. For the rest of the way, Yarrowfeather barely said a thing except when he pointed out the name of a certain thing like, "This is the Aspen Stretch," or "Over on the other side of the river is more woodland called the Crescent Woods. You will be able to hunt only in half of it since for the most it is blocked by a stone wall of the mountains but the other half is sided by the Rainclan border."

Over down the path, they met a stream that flowed off the river before it forked into two. He then ordered her to stop.

"This is the line that you cannot pass in the moor, farther from here is the Shadeclan border, this fork of the river heads to ShadowShine Falls, which is our river running into their territory and causing their marshlands. The other part of the fork connects the the last fork that headed off of the main river and joins Rainclan's river to make Glory-Falls. You may not go there, it is on the edge of Rainclan territory."

The whole time, her mentor had been pointing out her limits and boundaries until they reached the place that they were heading to. Its was in the Claw Woods, the other woodland of Cloudclan's territory other than the Crescent Woods and the Unnamed Woodland behind the island camp that was rarely used for hunting and was bordered by the mountainous walls of stone that protected the entire clans' territories all around.

Where he led her, was a tree. Not a climbing tree, or a fruit producing tree,but a tree covered in moss.

"Am I going to hunt? Are we doing to race up the tree?" the young apprentice asked excitedly, but her mentor shook his head.

"We are here to collect moss," Dawnpaw gaped at him.

"Moss? _Moss_? Moss is everywhere! Every tree by the river has moss! Why did we come all this way just to-"

"Quiet." Dawnpaw gulped, what was he going to do to her for back-talking?

"I was also disappointed when my mentor, Tuskclaw, had brought me here. But gathering this moss has three important purposes," now Dawnpaw was interested about how important this tree in the crook of the stream could be useful for.

"The tree is at the perfect angle to practice your paw moments," his deep, throaty voice almost sounded like a growl, "Swiping and peeling the top layer off the base of the moss helps your paw-eye coordination. Not only will you practice this, you will also help the clan, and today, coming here I was able to show you half of the territory." Now she understood, this was a multipurpose training activity.

"So today I will practice getting moss?" He nodded his broad head, "Okay! It'll be good practice!" Dawnpaw tried to sound enthusiastic, but she sort of regretted thinking that anything was better than training with her siblings. She imagined them hunting, fighting, and exploring right now, having the time of their lives'.

"Then lets begin," Yarrowfeather instructed.

He showed her where to sit, in between the stream and tree on a little dirt ledge. He sat on a close spot to her and showed her how to swivel her paw and hook it with her claws. She attempted this and pulled up the moss, roots, dirt, and all.

"No," he reprimanded his apprentice, "Like this." He showed her once again and she tried, this time doing better than last time but still a lump of dirt and roots, "It's all in the wrist, try moving that more than your leg."

Dawnpaw attempted a few more times, even though they were much better than the last tries, they were still failures and unfit for even the spare bedding piles.

After a few more tries, Dawnpaw let out a long, frustrated huff, "I can't do it," she growled, "This is so boring!" But Yarrowfeather was just looking at her motionlessly.

"It takes patience to perfect. Though it is boring, this will make your hunting skills more accurate and you'll make cleaner kills," she was exasperated, but then looked down at her mangled moss pile and the fresh ones on the tree and tried one more time.

With one claw, she hooked the top of a moss bunch and with a tug and the movement of her wrist, she peeled it cleanly off.

"Yarrowfeather! Yarrowfeather! Look-" as she leapt up and down excitedly, her back paw slid off the ledge and she fell a couple feet into the stream with a splash on her rump.

"Fox dung!" she spat as she watched the only good piece she had float down the current once she was out of her surprised daze.

From above, Yarrowfeather's usually unreadable eyes were sparkling with amazement, but they quickly faded.

"Don't worry, we will come back tomorrow. Come and help carry some of the moss I got."

The mentor and his apprentice padded back to camp with their jaws full of wads of moss rolled together to carry. By the time they returned, it was already Sundown. Cottonpaw and Walnutpaw were practicing what moves they had learned in the center of the clearing while their parents watched approvingly.

"Hey look who's back," they growled as they approached Dawnpaw once they were done practicing. Dawnpaw set her moss next to her mentor's, Yarrowfeather had offered to take them to the medicine to be stored for her so that she could eat and rest.

"Wow! I'm impressed you could even catch anything with those lumps of feathers on your back," Cottonpaw snorted and prodded Dawnpaw's wings, "But then again, moss can't run in horror of your ugly."

Dawnpaw tried to avoid their gazes for she felt her vision getting blurry even though she tried to ignore them.

"Well today we got to learn all sorts of fighting moves and I caught a mouse," Walnutpaw boasted, "I bet today you just spent all day learning which places you _can't_ go!" that made Dawnpaw flinch.

"Just as I thought," he spited. Then the golden-brown tom lifted both paws and pushed her over. Dawnpaw squeaked in surprise as she tumbled to the ground. Then the two other apprentices walked off snickering.

Dawnpaw got up and and limped over to the fresh-kill pile. The older kit lay down and silently ate a vole before getting up and heading to the apprentice den to sleep. Inside, she heard voices coming from the bushes that made up the den and stopped to listen.

"Mom! You can't do that to her! It isn't fair!" Dawnpaw instantly recognized Fireflypaw's voice.

"But I am, and don't you fight with me young she-cat. She's not going to spread Starclan knows what to the other apprentices, including you and your brother, while I'm around! Now this is not up for discussion, do you understand?" Duskbird sounded highly irritated.

"Y-" Fireflypaw sounded unhappy to say this, "Yes m-mother."

"Good, now you get your rest," Dawnpaw tensed as the blue-grey she-cat with brown stripes exited the den and hissed something under her breath.

"Starclan help my daughter for liking that freak," not even noticing Dawnpaw, who was sitting on the edge of the entrance.

Dawnpaw then padded into apprentice den to see the albino apprentice, Fireflypaw, pacing back and forth, furiously hissing under her breath. When she noticed Dawnpaw she looked truly upset.

"Fireflypaw?" the cream apprentice said worriedly, "What's wrong? Why were you fighting with your mother?" Fireflypaw sighed angrily, she then looked at Dawnpaw with sad eyes.

"She's afraid that you spread some sort, I don't know, germ, to the other apprentices by sleeping in the same den ever since she spoke with Willowrain," the older apprentice growled angrily, "Arrgh! Why does she have to be so over protective?!"

"So where am I gonna sleep?" Dawnpaw had her eyes stretched wide, would she be stuck outside, even when it rained and stormed?

"She found a spot for you in the bushes next to these. I have the moss for your nest and I was going to lay it out next to mine when she came in here and told me about what she was making you do," Fireflypaw's yellow eyes were filled with guilt, "I'm sorry."

Dawnpaw mustered up a fake smile, "It's okay, I'm used to it anyway. I'll be fine, promise," she surprised herself by not stuttering.

Later that night, Dawnpaw found herself lying in a next underneath some drafty bushes. _Just like old times,_ she sighed to herself, _It's like it never changed._ She scolded herself. _But it did, I'm an apprentice now and I'm gonna be a warrior. And I'll finally prove to Willowrain that I'm not just a monster! I'll prove to the whole clan I'm worthy!_

Her eyes began to droop, _Even If I have to die to show them._


	13. 1: Chapter 11

**Here we go! Thank you all for the support! Oh, and one more thing.**

 **Here's a bit on Dawnpaw's anatomy:**

 **Dawnpaw has lighter, hallow bones and small condensed muscles.**

 **Her hearing and vision is sharper than the average cat's for when she is in flight.**

 **She has larger lungs and an extra organ. That organ is an air sack for high altitudes.**

 **Dawnpaw is now about six moons and a half, she was a little late for training.**

 **Because of her hollow bones she is more likely to break them and healing is slow.**

 **Dawnpaw's claws are curved and longer than most's. Perfect for catching prey off the ground.**

 **Her claws are comparable to a hawk's talons :D**

 **(Btw, she can jump higher than normal cats because of lifting off the ground for flight.)**

 **Thanks and enjoy! ~Ebonyfire**

Chapter 11:

"Get up," a gruff voice woke Dawnpaw from her rest and she opened her bleary, blue eyes.

"Wha-" she grumbled, a broad brown head with piercing yellow eyes was poking into her den. Then she came to her senses, "Oh, sorry Yarrowfeather."

"Then get up and come on out, or I"ll take this mouse to elders if your really sorry," she stumbled upwards and started to groom herself.

"Alright, alright, I'm up," she muffled through her feathers as she gave them a quick preen.

Once she was outside, she saw her mentor sitting there with a mouse next to him, she grabbed the fresh-kill, which was still warm, and began to eat.

"Thanks," she meowed through a mouthful of the meat.

"Don't thank me, thank Rosetail. She gave it to me to give to you," the young she-cat raised her head and looked over to see her foster-mother sunning on the sand with the other kits playing in the clearing, her close eye on them. She also spotted Dawnpaw and the apprentice blinked her thanks to Rosetail, who nodded with a smile in return.

"Today we head to the moss tree again," Yarrowfeather growled as she ate.

Dawnpaw gagged, almost choking on a bone, "What?! We've been going there for the past week! You promised me we could go hunting soon!" He just got and started to padded to the fern tunnel.

"And we will keep going there until you've mastered it, _then_ we will hunt," Dawnpaw quickly took a few more bites and then ran after him before he could leave her behind.

When they arrived to the tree, they had passed two mice, three fat birds, and a chipmunk. And Dawnpaw knew this all because she counted, and was extremely frustrated he told no hunting at all until she was done with this dumb training.

Her mentor sat down in his usual spot and she did her's.

"Begin," he said.

Dawnpaw paused, "Aren't you going to demonstrate like you always do?" he shook his head.

"This time it is all on you," she glanced at him nervously and then prepared herself.

 _Remember, swivel the wrist, tug, but not too hard, and, um, trust yourself,_ Dawnpaw tried to remember all he told her, but her mind just went blank. _Trust yourself,_ she thought once more, _Just trust what your doing._

Dawnpaw looked down at the moss, which had depleted greatly from all their training, and started to work. Swiftly, she hooked the tops from the moss one by one, and before she knew it, she found that her side of the tree was completely moss-less and she had a pile of perfectly peeled green moss strips besides her.

"I, I did it?" looked down at her collection with surprise. When she glanced back up at her mentor, she was even more surprised to see him looking at her with pride in his yellow gaze.

"Well done. Looks like we are going to learn something new after all," Dawnpaw smiled and rolled her moss up in a roll before picking it up. It was finally over with! But somehow she felt that maybe it was good she mastered this skill, Yarrowfeather said it would make her more accurate, right?

They walked for a bit until they were back on the moorland. And as they started to walk over a slope, Dawnpaw flicked her ear and stopped. Her mentor gazed at her questioningly as he noticed she had halted.

"Dawnpaw? What are-"

"Shh, do you hear that?"

Her mentor grew silent and he narrowed his eyes as he perked his pointed ears and rotated them around until they stopped in a certain direction. Yarrowfeather looked towards the other side of the river, where the direction of the Rainclan boundary was.

"Nicely heard," he meowed, not taking his gaze off the distance. Dawnpaw was taken aback that she would be complemented twice by her mentor in one day.

"It, It sounded like a yowl. Of a cat I mean," Dawnpaw stared at her alert mentor and Yarrowfeather then turned to her.

"Leave the moss here," he commanded.

"What?" Dawnpaw stepped back in surprise, "But I finally-"

He turned and the young apprentice could how serious his expression was, "Okay," she mewed hesitantly, "so what are we gonna-"

"What _you_ are going to do is run back to camp as fast as you can," her azure eyes widened and her feathers began to ruffle, "Tell them Rainclan has attacked a border patrol."

"Right n-now?"

"Yes now!" he growled, he then added, in a less harsh but none the less serious tone, when Dawnpaw flinched, "This will require Speckledove's help."

With a nod, the young cream she-cat turned and sped off towards camp. The scenery flashed past Dawnpaw in a blur and she felt as if her paws barely touched the ground with every stride as she gained speed. In the distance, she could her the faint battle cry of her mentor as Yarrowfeather sped into battle echoing over the slopes.

"Faster!" she willed her legs to move, she was quick, but she felt as if this wasn't nearly as fast as she could go. After a while of running, she found that the moor had disappeared and she was twisting and turning through another dirt path in the small forest. Her lungs had only barely started to ache at this point, but she feared her paws and legs were suffering the most damage in this situation.

Soon enough she saw the strait, final stretch and close her eyes for a moment in relief. But to the young cat's horror as she reopened her eyes, Dawnpaw found herself hurdling right over the edge of the river's bank ledge.

She yowled in surprise and her wings shot outwards, but to her amazement, when she thought she would have fallen into the river and be sucked down into its current, she opened her eyes to find herself floating above the river's surface.

Dawnpaw looked down at her paws dumbstruck as she gracefully drifted over the water and landed lightly on the island camp's entrance. For a moment, she could barely comprehend what just happened, but as she turned her head to look at her developing wings, she broke into a gleeful grin.

The sound of approaching paws made her turn from her wings. She thought she saw a familiar, friendly face but she was wrong as she remembered that he hardly wanted anything to do with her.

"What are _you_ doing in the middle of the entrance? Move your rump instead of being even more useless than usual!" Brookpaw's irritated scowl suddenly brought the memories of her mission swelling over the rim of Dawnpaw's mind.

"Training. Yowls. Battle!" Dawnpaw was gasping out short words between gasps. Why was she out of breath? Maybe it was the long run taking its tole? Or maybe it was her excitement? Or it might be the fact she had been holding her breath for the past few moments since she had flown across the river.

 _I flew,_ she realized, _I can fly! Maybe not yet, but soon!_ Dawnpaw swallowed in air as she thought about flying for real one day.

"What's this about a battle you're yammering about?" A dull grey-white tom had pushed his way past Brookpaw with an impatient look on his face. He had a few scars and one of his eyes was cloudy.

Brookpaw snorted, "This kit here is raving like a fox in a fit about Starclan knows what," the grey-blue apprentice stepped aside, " _You_ try to talk to her."

He looked a bit hesitant, but the white warrior then spoke to Dawnpaw, who was now slightly recovering her breath.

"What are you meowing about?" he grunted, "And why are you so breathless?"

Without a warning, it all came spilling out of Dawnpaw.

"Yarrowfeather and I heard fighting from the Rainclan border! He went to investigate and I have to speak with Honeystar! We are going to need Speckledove's help!" The warrior looked taken aback and then his expression turned quizzical, so turned to Brookpaw, who looked more suspicious than anything.

"What do you think?" Dawnpaw widened her eyes, why weren't they just getting Honeystar? This is an emergency!

"I don't trust her," the cream apprentice opened her mouth in shock at Brookpaw's response, "How do we know that she won't just lead us to our deaths? I mean, look at her! She might as well have a snake tongue along with those ugly wings. She's most likely cursed and even if she is telling the truth this Starclan accursed fox-heart might as well hold a burial ceremony for us already! I wouldn't go."

"I'm not cursed!" Dawnpaw lashed her tail in outrage, "And I'm not joking! Cats could be hurt, or even worse, killed!"

The warrior, who was named Fogeye, turned his gaze to his paws as he started to ponder what should be done. But Dawnpaw was over with these charades and knew that she had wasted enough time already. She pushed her weight to the ground and then sprang over the cats , her head brushing the arching bush branches above. With a coordinated and smooth landing, she bolted away from the surprised cats and raced over to the fallen log that was propped up against some boulders, for underneath that Dawnpaw knew was Honeystar's den.

She raced in and screeched to a halt, "Honeystar-" but to her shock, the golden, thick furred leader was no where to be seen. The cream apprentice turned around and raced out into the clearing. As she stood in the center, she called out to the remaining warriors in camp.

"Has anyone seen Honeystar?!" several faces turned towards her and the silence was broken by some questioning whispers. Dawnpaw turned her head back and forth frantically, why was nobody responding!? It may be to late already!

"She out on patrol," Dawnpaw turned around to see a brown tom with familiar white streaks and dapples approaching her. She shrank back as she figured out it was Leafwhisker, the deputy, and Willowrain's brother. But Leafwhisker did not bare the same hatred and anger in his eyes, his face only expressed concern.

"Why are you looking for her? Is something wrong?" Dawnpaw felt relief that some cat had finally asked her rational questions.

"Yarrowfeather and I were out gathering moss when we heard a battle yowl echoing over the hills. He suspected that it came from the Rainclan border and went to investigate, while he was doing that I raced here to tell Honeystar," Leafwhisker's leaf-green gaze became serious and he nodded to her.

"Honeystar was on the Rainclan border patrol, she wanted to see if there were any signs of prey thievery. Recently Rushingstar, the leader of Rainclan, has been rather hostile at the gathering. When you were born, the spring festival was cut short by the panic of the sun going out earlier that day. Rushingstar had stated that this was a sign from Starclan that Rainclan needed more territory from Meadowclan. He said that the sun going out was because the first leader of Meadowclan was Sunstar and since his territory was so barren other than the river that Starclan demanded that his clan needs more territory. Of course they turned him down, and ever since, tensions have been high between Cloudclan and Rainclan because we have been finding more and more proof of them stealing prey from our land every moon. A battle is bound to happen, and a few border skirmishes are expected. Hopefully no cat will be severally injured and we can rationally talk this out with Rushingstar."

Dawnpaw was flexing her claws as she took in all of this hastily said information. A _battle_! That would be the perfect chance to prove herself to her clan and Willowrain!

Leafwhisker looked aside, "I should gather a patrol to go over there," his gaze skimmed over the cats in camp. Soon he called out a good amount of cat's names and a well sized patrol had formed with Speckledove in lead beside the deputy.

"Cottonpaw is so lucky! She is already there and I can't even go!" Walnutpaw was spitting in frustration as his mentor joined the battle patrol.

"I hope she is okay, I'll tear out the throat of any cat that lays a claw on my precious kit!" Willowrain was pacing back and forth as she waited to depart with the group. Dawnpaw felt a pang of sadness because of the mother's fierce protectiveness of her kit. Dawnpaw hoped that by the time she gained her own warrior name, her birth mother would look at her with pride, not malice, and maybe worry just a little when Dawnpaw would go into battle.

"Lets go, hopefully we aren't to late," Leafwhisker signaled for the group to leave with a swish of his tail and they began to depart only to stop before even reaching the entrance.

In front of them was another group of cats soaked in blood and some limping. Dawnpaw widened her eyes in shock as she saw that they had a body being dragged with them.

"I'm afraid you are." the cat in the front of the wounded patrol grunted.


	14. 1: Chapter 12

**This is a shorter one, but I like it. In a little bit, this book will end and I will post Book 2.**

 **I would like to hear some ideas for Tadpolekit's, Fawnkit's, and Turtlekit's warrior names.**

 **Thanks for reading and enjoy! ~Ebonyfire**

Chapter 12:

"Yarrowfeather!" Dawnpaw gasped as her mentor stumbled to the ground, his wounds fresh and the metallic scent of blood thick in the air. The cream she-cat raced over to the hefty dark brown tom and she let him lean on her shoulder even though he kept repeating, 'I'm fine, I'm fine' as she offered to help.

Speckledove raced forwards and gasped, "Who's injured the most?" Acornstep, who had been greeting his mate and kits, Cottonpaw had been told to stay in a tree and was uninjured for the most part, turned from his family and he looked at the dappled medicine cat with sadness.

"Honeystar lost a life," Speckledove pulled back her ears in shock and the group revealed the limp form of their leader, "She fought valiantly, but one of the Rainclan warriors had got her from behind and she was wounded at the throat."

Speckledove was already pressing cob-webs to the limb golden form and trying to seal the wound best she could. Tansyblossom and her brother Littleleap were busy going back and forth to help the other injured cats. No one had been as harmed as Honeystar, but once Yarrowfeather had been treated Dawnpaw raced over to Fireflypaw. The albino she-cat was limping and had nasty bite on her shoulder, Tansyblossom was busy applying marigold to the apprentice's wound but Dawnpaw still fussed over Fireflypaw as if it was a killing move.

"You should have seen me fight," she flinched as Tansyblossom began to lick the tender, open tear, "I felt like I had all of Lionclan on my side."

After a while, every cat had been treated and they lay in their beds resting and talking about how the fight went. Dawnpaw was sitting next to Fireflypaw until she had fallen asleep and then exited the apprentice den. She looked over towards the nursery to see Rosetail mewing in a distressed tone at Brackenheart and then becoming silent before nuzzling her head into his neck fur, and the brown tom then rested his chin on her head and closed his eyes. His wounds were not serious but it looked as if the scare of Rosetail thinking that her mate could have been severally injured had brought them together after a long time of nothing but silence between them.

A little black shape caught Dawnpaw's attention and she turned her head to see Tadpolekit hobbling over to Honeystar's den. After a moment, the cream apprentice then realized he wasn't purposely heading there, it seemed that he was following the grey speckled medicine cat as usual. She decided that she had nothing else better to do and followed behind her foster-littermate.

When Tadpolekit entered the den Dawnpaw didn't want to disturb so she just poked her head in to make sure he wasn't getting in trouble. Inside, she witnessed something unexpected.

The little black tom-kit was watching Speckledove as she gave Honeystar fresh dressings and removed the old ones. Beside the golden she-cat was Yarrowfeather, asleep with his pelt against her's. The leader wasn't awake, but she seemed healthy by the steady rise and fall of her sides and chest.

"Just deep enough to take a life, Starclan knows only how she will be tomorrow," the grey she-cat was talking to herself until she looked behind her to grab some more fresh cobweb to see Tadpolekit watching her with a look of hero worship.

"Tadpolekit? Do you need something?" Speckledove then lifted up the cobweb and continued to work until she froze at the black kit's reply.

"She's losing two lives isn't she?" the medicine cat turned ad gaped at the little tom in surprise.

"I'm- I'm afraid so. It's what I feared, but how did you know?" he looked at her as if this was just a normal thing.

"Well, I can tell. She would have already lost her first life earlier but her breathing is getting worse and the heat coming off her means fever, like what Turtlekit had when he caught a chill. She looks well now but her current life is being sapped away by, um, probably infection, since the cats had to drag her back because they were to weak to carry her," even Dawnpaw was dumbfounded, this was the most she had ever heard the shy kit speak in one conversation.

"Well spotted young one," Speckledove replied after a moment of hesitation, "If she loses this life, how many do you think she will have left?"

Tadpolekit slowly walked forward, paused, and then rested his muzzle on the star shape on the leader's forehead.

"After she loses this one, um, she will, er," he shuffled his paws around nervously as the medicine cat watched him with curious eyes.

"It's okay even if your wrong, go on," these words seemed to comfort him a little and he spoke once more after closing his eyes and focusing on the leader.

"If she loses this life she will have only four left," he opened his green eyes as Speckledove brushed her tail down his back and he looked up at her to see her smiling.

"Correct," Tadpolekit beamed happily and the medicine cat grabbed some herbs in her jaws and set some down next to him.

"Chew this and spit them on those scratches there," she pointed to the spot with her tail and the black kit took the herbs and began to chew them, "She's not losing another life on my watch. These will help stop infection."

Happily, Dawnpaw's foster-sibling helped the medicine cat and the cream apprentice left them to work. Would little Tadpolekit become a medicine cat? He never did play warriors with his siblings, and he was always the rouge when they played catch the rouge. It would make sense, and it worried Dawnpaw about how little Tadpoly would do in battle. So this would be for the best.

Dawnpaw laid down in her nest and smiled, and drifted into sleep.

The world around her was dark when Dawnpaw reopened her eyes and she then realized she must be dreaming. She looked down and only saw a black expanse beneath her floating paws. Her wings were outspread but she wasn't flying, her fur was flowing in the gravity-less air and she took a deep breath in.

So silent. So quiet. So peaceful.

A light far away redirected the cream she-cat's attention. A sun rose over the dark horizon and suddenly stars danced and twinkling all around Dawnpaw. She gasped in amazement as glimmering beings raced through the sky.

"The last dawn. Save us. The final spring. Everlasting night. Never ending winter," they all seemed to say. Dawnpaw pulled back her ears and opened her mouth to say something when sudden frosty wind bombarded her.

With blood curdling cries and moans, the starry silhouettes froze over and shattered into bits. Dawnpaw's jaws were parted in a soundless wail as she watched in horror. The sun then was covered by a large disc, that disc being a cold moon. And all light was gone other than the glowing shards of ice and the freezing moon.

Dawnpaw closed her eyes and cruel, cold voices filled her head calling her many horrible names. Then, as the winter air grew silent, she reopened her azure eyes to see a face only a mouse-length away from her's. Its eyes were round with fear and sorrow and out of its lips came two words.

"Save us."


	15. 1: Chapter 13

**Reply to Night and Ivy: I really like those names and will consider!**

 **Btw, I would also like to hear from my readers what the other cat's warrior names will be.**

 **Like Brookpaw, Fireflypaw, Cottonpaw, Walnutpaw, and even Dawnpaw!**

 **Her original name actually has already been taken so I'm still unsure on what her name will be.**

 **Enjoy my story! This is a shorter chapter. ~Ebonyfire**

Chapter 13:

Dawnpaw lay on the forest floor, fronds of fern and bracken hiding her in the undergrowth. Nearby, a pair of golden eyes watched the apprentice warily as she examined Dawnpaw's hunter's crouch.

"Don't swish your tail! Do you want to alert all the prey in the territory by shaking the ferns?" Dawnpaw hissed under her breath at her substitute mentor.

It had been a week and a half and Yarrowfeather spent most his time beside Honeystar, he was healed but had grown unexpectedly over protective of his childhood friend and only took Dawnpaw out to train every now and then.

Goldenhazel pressed her paw down on the cream apprentice's back and she squeaked in surprise as she was pushed down.

"That's better, now wait for a bird to land and start pecking around. Then pounce like I showed you," Goldenhazel then hid nearby and Dawnpaw began the wait.

After a while, a bluebird landed and began to peck at some nuts that had fallen of the acorn tree. Dawnpaw paused and tensed her muscles but as her excitement rose, her tail twitched a bit and it rustled some leaves on the forest floor. The bird's head then shot up and the air grew still, with a flutter of wings, the bluebird took off and Dawnpaw sprang.

The young she-cat raced forwards and leapt into the air, but the bird was already below the canopy layer. This would be Dawnpaw's first bird, and she wasn't giving up that easily. She twisted around in mid-air and began to flap her tawny wings.

She reached out her front legs and caught the bird with her hooked claws. It let out a short, alarmed cry that was cut short as Dawnpaw skillfully snapped its neck in her jaws mid-air. She dropped down to the forest floor with a _thump_ and immediately dropped her prey down to gaze at her kill.

To Dawnpaw's horror, on the ground lay the body of a blue-grey she-cat with white paws and belly. Her blue eyes were glazed over and she had a bloody neck wound that leaked out onto the cream apprentice's paws staining them red. An angered voice brought Dawnpaw up from the frighting scene and as she lifted her head she was met to a claw scratch to the face.

She stumbled backwards in shock and looked up to see the furious, snarling face of her substitute mentor. Goldenhazel's eyes were wide, and to Dawnpaw's shock, filled with rage and fear.

"I said what do you think you're doing?!" The cream apprentice's breath was coming in short gasps and she backed away from the brown she-cat.

"I was j-just hunting and it almost g-got aw-away!" she was shaking and her feathers were ruffled, "I thought I caught the bluebird but, but I-" she looked over to where the body was, and to her shock, saw only the limp body of a bluebird, not a cat.

"No! Why in the name of Starclan did you fly!?" Dawnpaw blinked in surprise.

"I, I just-"

"No," Goldenhazel growled, "You're coming with me to Honeystar."

Dawnpaw stepped back, shaking the dew from the fronds of the bracken behind her, "W-why? We shouldn't bother her-" then Goldenhazel snapped once again.

"Shut it you freak!"

Now Dawnpaw was silent, out of shock. No one had ever called her that to her face other then Willowrain, Walnutpaw, and Cottonpaw. Now she could add another to the list. Goldenhazel immediately looked guilty to say that strait to Dawnpaw, many had called the young apprentice that name, even she, but none had been cruel enough to call her it upfront.

Tears began to form on corners of the she-cat's azure eyes and Goldenhazel stepped forward.

"N-no, I didn't, I mean-" but it was to late, and Dawnpaw turned tail and sped away in tears.


	16. 1: Chapter 14

**Thank you for your suggestions for their warrior names, but I would like to hear even more!**

 **Special thanks to Night and Ivy for giving me frequent feedback!**

 **Boy, some cats should learn to hold their tongues. Here we go!**

 **~Ebonyfire**

Chapter 14:

Dawnpaw raced through the forest before bursting into the open moorland. Her vision grew blurry as wet tears stroked her soft cheeks and scattered on the ground. She was done, she just needed to get away for a while. She knew she must be strong until she can finally prove herself, but now was the time that she couldn't for a little. For everybody needs to cry at times.

The moor was a golden pelt of rolling hills and as she raced down the slopes she glided a few inches off the ground from her outstretched wings.

The babbling sound of the river approaching didn't even make her slow down, she instead sped up and pushed off of a rock, giving her just enough momentum to glide all the way across the water. The river was full to the banks and fish flicked and fluttered away as Dawnpaw's shadow crossed over them, fearing that she was a hawk coming to lift them off and eat them.

She landed on the other side and kept running until her paws were sore and eyes all out of tears. When she looked around, she saw that she was in front of a wall of trees. She had ran all the way to the other side of Cloudclan's territory, from the Claw-Woods to the Crescent-Woods. Had she really crossed the river twice? She couldn't remember.

Dawnpaw then padded up to a tree and heaved herself up to a crook in the branches where she nestled down and pulled her tail over her eyes. Without knowing it, she had fallen asleep.

The sound of clumsy pawsteps woke her from her rest. Dawnpaw's fur prickled, had her clan already found her? But when she looked down, she saw only a white she-cat with grey splotches and dark, blue eyes.

The unknown cat was warily glancing from side to side as she stumbled over roots and brambles, occasionally squeaking with an 'Ouch!' when ever she stepped on a thorn.

Dawnpaw narrowed her eyes at the stranger and decide that the best way to see what it was doing would be to follow it. She quietly got up and stepped on the intertwining branches so that she could cross over to the next tree. Dawnpaw was able to this for quite some time and noticed that the cat was trying to head into the unknown woods behind camp, it wasn't a scary place, she was told, but the clan only ever hunted there when there was a prey shortage.

Dawnpaw hurriedly stepped to the next tree and positioned herself. Soon enough, the intruder had padded out of some bushes and was right in front of the cream apprentice, and right where she wanted her.

With a leap, Dawnpaw fell down to the forest floor and gave a mighty flap of her wings to soften her landing. This sent leaves scattering all over and the unknown cat let out a startled yowl before staring in alarm and fear with her pelt on end and tail fluffed up.

"Intruder!" Dawnpaw growled, trying to sound as menacing as possible, "Who are you and what are you doing in my territory?!"

To Dawnpaw's surprise, the cat just yelped and sped away. Dawnpaw was confused what to do, what sort of warrior does that? So she could only think of one thing.

"Coward!" she yowled and raced in the direction that the she-cat ran off to. Dawnpaw swerved around bushes and plants, and as she burst through a large patch of undergrowth, she met head on with a group of cats.

At first Dawnpaw stepped back in fear, thinking it was a battle patrol sent from Rainclan and the she-cat had been their scout, but she then recognized the faces of Dewnose, Tawnyrobin, Berrymist, and Drizzlefur.

"Did you guys see which way that cat went?!" Dawnpaw was panting in excitement and from the work out of carefully leaping from tree to tree. The cats glanced at each other with confused looks.

"What cat?" Dawnpaw gaped at them.

"The cat that went running this way! Didn't you see it?" Berrymist shook her head but Tawnyrobin looked more serious.

"We just passed by the Rainclan border and we didn't find any scents passing over it. By the way, what are you doing so close to it? And alone for that matter?" Dewnose looked at her and then nodded in agreement. All cats began to stare at the cream apprentice and she glanced around nervously.

"I was, um, running and I made my way here," Drizzlefur looked skeptical, "And then I saw that cat! It was stumbling through the forest like a drowsy badger and I followed it but it got away!"

Berrymist looked patient, "It was probably just tricks of the shadows, there is no cat here," Dawnpaw was thankful for the grey cat's kindness, but even she acted as though she didn't trust Dawnpaw.

"But I saw it with my own eyes!" the cream apprentice objected. Dewnose just rolled his eyes.

"Crazy kit, disabled in more than one way I see," Tawnyrobin flicked her tail at the comment but said nothing and Dawnpaw just gazed at them pleadingly.

"Don't- don't you believe me?" an awful silence hung in the air before Drizzlefur spoke.

"Lets get you back to camp."

Dawnpaw walked the rest of the way with her head hanging low and wings slightly brushing the ground. As she entered camp, Rosetail's rushed over to meet her foster-kit.

"Where were you? We've been worried sick!" for a moment Dawnpaw wondered who the "we" was until she spotted her foster-siblings peeking at her from around the corner. She rubbed her cheek on Rosetail's and was glad to see a friendly face.

"Are you going to go tell Honeystar now?" Dawnpaw asked Dewnose as he strode towards the leader, who was healing better and now was laying out in the sun next to Yarrowfeather. The grey tom looked at her and sniffed in disdain.

"About the border patrol, yes, about your imaginary cat? No." Dawnpaw's fur fluffed out a little in outrage.

"It wasn't imaginary! I saw it with my own-"

"And I don't care," the white spotted tom growled, "So leave your crazy ravings for another time."

Dawnpaw spat in frustration and stomped over to her den. With a huff, she laid down in her bed and began to sheathe and unsheathe her claws. Then, a kind white head poked through the branches of the bush.

"Dawnpaw?" Fireflypaw asked, "I saw you come back with the border patrol, is something wrong?" Dawnpaw gazed at her friend and sighed.

"Everyone thinks I'm crazy as well as deformed," Fireflypaw came in and sat down next to the cream she-cat.

"Why do you think that?" she asked.

Dawnpaw lifted herself up with a heave and hissed, "Because I saw an intruder in the Crescent-Woods!" her voice then grew more quiet and sad, "And no one believes me."

Fireflypaw rested her tail on Dawnpaw's shoulders and the young apprentice stared into her friend's yellow eyes.

"Don't worry," she mewed, "I believe you."

Dawnpaw wondered if she really did, but she still smiled, "Thanks."

The two walked out and shared some fresh-kill before heading to bed. And as the cream she-cat laid down for the night, she got an idea.

She should _prove_ to her clanmates that she wasn't insane, all she would need to do was catch the cat and bring her to her clan. Boy, they would sure love her after that, it would be a win win. Maybe Willowrain would even be impressed! So tomorrow, Dawnpaw would sneak out and look for the intruder. Yarrowfeather would assume some cat had taken her out for training and no one would even suspect. I mean, its not like they count her as a valued member of the clan and would even notice she was gone right away.

So Dawnpaw closed her eyes and dreamed of coming home a hero for the first time.

Sunlight flickered through the walls of her den and she shivered, it had rained over night and her pelt was soaked. Her little den wasn't the most water-proof.

Dawnpaw padded outside and noticed the Dawn-Patrol heading out. She gave herself a quick groom and decided that the best way to dry her pelt would to probably just run it off. The wind was good at that sort of thing she had noticed when she ran all that way crying her eyes out.

Dawnpaw was about to exit the camp when a voice stopped her.

"Dawnpaw! Where are you going?" she turned to see Speckledove standing next to the soggy fresh-kill pile.

"Er, my mentor for today wants me up early. She, um, he is probably already waiting on the other side of the river," Speckledove looked at her skeptically before nodding slowly.

"Just remind him or, I guess, her that tonight's the gathering and you should try not to train for to long if you want to go," when Dawnpaw brightened the medicine cat added, "If your mentor wants to go I mean, I'm afraid you can't."

The cream she-cat looked crestfallen, "When will I be allowed to go?"

Speckledove poked a limp, wet squirrel with her paw and simply muttered, "You don't have as many privileges as us..." Dawnpaw knew what she meant.

The apprentice turned around and headed through the fern tunnel. After she caught this cat, she knew, she would be allowed to go to whatever gathering she wanted.

 _I hope,_ Dawnpaw gulped and left camp in search of the mysterious intruder.


	17. 1: Chapter 15

**Omg I'm sorry for taking so long! I've just been really busy but with spring break coming up I may have more time.**

 **This next chapter's involving the mysterious cat (Ooooo spooky)**

 **Skytheloner: Thank you so much! I'm really glad you like it! :3**

 **Guest: Thanks for the names, I appreciate it.**

 **Chandler Cagle: Thank you for reading, and soon. It will be soon.**

 **NightandIvy: I also appreciate how frequently you comment, it's my sort of motivation boost. Thx**

 **Thanks everyone for reading and rating! I never thought people would like my work! ;)**

 **Enjoy the story! ~Ebonyfire**

Chapter 15:

The moor glittered in the early morning sunlight, each dewdrop sparkling as the breeze slightly nudged them in the warm glow. Dawnpaw's cream fur brushed off several and they fell to the ground with pitter-patter. Soon she was faced with the rolling golden hills and turned to her left, towards the direction of Rainclan's border and the Crescent-Woods.

The young apprentice began to pick up pace and broke into a steady run. As she was heading down a one slope, she landed from her glide and her paw slid on wet, slimy mud.

"Yipe!" she squeaked and fell into a puddle, soaking herself. She groaned and got up.

"Fox-dung!" Dawnpaw cursed under her breath, but as she saw her reflection in the now stilled water, she couldn't help but giggle. She looked a bit silly at this angle and being wet and all.

As the cream apprentice turned to groom off the grimy water, she noticed her wings were dry. Dawnpaw shook them and little droplets scattered to the ground, sliding off her tawny-brown wings with ease.

"Like a duck..." she murmured, it was good to know that now for her, she did worry a little for how she would clean wet wings.

So at a steady, yet slower, pace, she made her way to the Crescent-Woods. Crossing the now very full river was a bit of an issue, but she just used the stepping stones like any other cat. The forest was less wet inside with the thick canopy of leaves above, and Dawnpaw began to search for the mystery cat's scent.

As she pressed her nose to the forest floor, she sneezed. It was cold and a bit wet, ugh, she did not like that combination. Dawnpaw parted her jaws and began to take in the scents of the area that she had last seen the intruder. A faint smell laid on her tongue and Dawnpaw tried memorized it, if she was to find this cat she would need to know it when she smelled it.

The rain that had fallen in the night had, sadly, washed away any trail that Dawnpaw could have used. A hard knot of worry weighed in her chest, what if she couldn't find it?

 _No,_ Dawnpaw focused on the direction she saw the wandering cat go yesterday and followed it, _Failure is not an option!_

The soggy grass squelched underneath her paws as the cream apprentice came nearer and nearer to the edge of the Crescent-Woods and the slight open area before the Unknown Woodland.

Suddenly a scent hit her nose and Dawnpaw crouched down, almost forgetting to not swish her tail with excitement. Finally, the chance has arrived!

Through the wet fronds, Dawnpaw could see the white and grey cat sitting next to a brook in the open clearing between the two woods. She was looking up at the sky with a longing for someplace else, Dawnpaw could see it as clearly as if the cat had said it out loud. She looked lost, for a moment, the blue eyed apprentice couldn't help but feel pity for the spotted cat.

 _No!_ Dawnpaw forced the feeling away, _This is an intruder and I'm defending my territory!_ So with a caterwauling yowl, the winged apprentice rushed out of the bushes and leapt on top of the cat.

The mysterious cat struggled and meowed in terror underneath Dawnpaw and she realized that this cat was extremely weak. When she looked down at the enemy's exposed belly, she saw that each of the cat's ribs were showing.

The cat wriggled and squirmed a bit before placing her two front paws over her eyes and begging Dawnpaw not to kill her.

"Who are you and what are you doing in Cloudclan's territory?!" The cream furred apprentice demanded, she tried to sound tough, but the cat's pitiful mews made pity well up in Dawnpaw's chest.

"I'm- I'm sorry!" she wailed, "It wasn't my choice to be named after you! I'm sorry!"

Now Dawnpaw was just confused.

"What? What do mean you are named after me? And answer my questions!" The cat sniffled and peeked a dark blue eye from behind her paw.

"I- I didn't mean to disrespect you! It was my Housefolk that named me! I didn't know angels were real!" Dawnpaw stepped off the cat, she was obviously too weak to run anymore, and if she did, Dawnpaw could definitely catch her this time.

"Explain what you are doing here and what an _angel_ is," The cat stumbled upwards and looked truly surprised.

"You- You are an angel aren't you?" Dawnpaw hesitated, was she? No, she would have been told if she was some sort of angel, whatever an angel was. She shook her head and the cat sighed.

"So, so that's not we your chasing me, r-right?" Once again she shook her head.

"What I want to know, and I'll say it again, is what you are doing on my territory? Which clan are you from and why," she glanced at the cat's ribs, "are you so underfed?"

"I ran away, from my Housefolk I mean," the cat began after a moment, "We were traveling and we got lost and I, I wanted to explore. I found myself astray from the path I was following and I heard a wolf, so I had run into some caves in the mountain side. Then," she looked down sadly, "they left without me."

"What is a, Housefolk?" Dawnpaw asked with a tilt of her head.

The cat immediately brightened "My Housefolk are the best! They were tall and had fluffs of fur on their heads! They looked a bit silly, but you get used to it. They would pet me, and fed me, and..." she trailed off with a dreamy look but then continued, "They took care of me and loved me, but it's been two years since I've seen them." The cream apprentice was slightly bewildered by the notion of a strange creature touching and taking care of a cat. It seemed ridiculous and quite odd.

"How have you survived?" Dawnpaw questioned, this cat clearly had no hunting skills, or fighting. Dawnpaw knew the mountains outside if the valley were almost never-ending and reached for miles, like in the stories. This feeble cat surely couldn't have made it all the way here on her own, could she?

"I was abducted!" she said with sudden energy, "By fierce wild cats that held me captive!" The burst of enthusiasm from the loner made Dawnpaw flinch.

"Who?" The cat was sparking with excitement, "What clan? And how many cats live in the mountains?"

She tilted her head, "Clan? No, they didn't call themselves a clan at all, but they were really big. I mean, a _lot_ of cats. They called themselves the protectors of the valley of stars to me, they forbade me to enter. I still don't get that part; I mean, this place isn't so bad."

"Protectors, of here?.." Dawnpaw was fizzing with interest.

"Yeah, but when they talked to each other and held meetings they called themselves the tribe. The Tribe of Dappled Moonlight."

Something about that mysterious name made Dawnpaw shiver, who were these cats? And does anyone else know about them?

"I was able to escape," the loner's eyes were filled with triumph, "But I fell into the river and floated through a dark tunnel. My head bumped something and I got knocked out in the water, I for sure thought I was a goner! But instead," she gazed around, "I woke up in this place. It's so beautiful, especially since I've been stuck in a cave for two years."

"Years? Does that mean seasons, or moons?" the cat was hesitant but then nodded.

"Now I just need to find myself a way back, a way back to my Housefolk. I'm hoping that if I keep traveling this way I'll end up on the other side of the mountains. Surely it must have taken them a while to get around these mountains," she widened her dark blue eyes, "Maybe they are waiting for me!"

Dawnpaw looked at the hope in the loner's gaze and a sudden rush of pity flooded her. This cat was naïve, foolish, and weak, but she had a strong love towards her "Housefolk" and earnestly wanted to get back to them. But even Dawnpaw knew that the chances of her ever seeing them again was low, very, very low.

Dawnpaw looked down at the ground by her paws and the strange she-cat looked away from the sky as she rambled on about how she would miraculously return to her Housefolk.

"What's wrong?" she asked the winged apprentice, and Dawnpaw raised her head.

"Why?" she murmured with an overwhelming sadness, "Why are you being so friendly to me?"

The grey and white cat looked surprised, "Why not? I mean, you didn't kill me, and plus, it's better to make friends than enemies right?"

Dawnpaw's intense crystal blue gaze locked on the other she-cat's, "But I still tried to attack you! Isn't it foolish to spill out everything like that?! I mean, who knows, I could have been evil or something and just killed you for the fact you wanted to leave!"

The cat still didn't waver, "But you aren't evil," she smiled.

Dawnpaw looked back down at the ground. For a moment the she-cat looked worriedly at the clan cat until Dawnpaw raised her head once more. The apprentice's eyes were brimmed with tears and she had a smile on her face.

"Heh," she chuckled, "This isn't at all how I thought it would be." She then started to hoarsely laugh.

The loner's brow furrowed, "Why are you crying?"

Dawnpaw wiped a paw across her face, "Because," she mewed, "I know how it feels. How it feels to want something so bad," _and know I'll never get it._ She added silently.

"Well that's a silly reason to cry," the she-cat stated bluntly, "By the way, what's your name?"

"Dawnpaw."

"Weird, but then again, I've met a cat named Wall of Cascading Water so I've pretty much heard it all." She smiled, "I'm Angel."

 _So that's why she was worried earlier, she thought she was disrespecting me, who she thought was an angel, by having the same name._

Dawnpaw paused, "What _is_ an angel?"

"Well," Angel began, "My Housefolk named me after other Housefolk. Except these Housefolk I only saw in pictures. They called them "angels" like me. They weren't like normal Housefolk though," she motioned towards Dawnpaw's wings with her tail, "They had wings like you."

"Oh," the cream apprentice murmured. _So that's why she was mistaking me for an angel._

"After I first ran away from you yesterday I began to think. Maybe there are cat angels too, and maybe they were mad at me for having the same name!" Angel grinned slightly, "But I'm glad to see that's not the case!" The grey and white cat weakly laughed.

Dawnpaw smiled back, this friendly she-cat was unexpected, but not terrible. But what to do with her? Should she be taken to the clan? Or should Dawnpaw let her go on her way instead?

With a loud grunt, Angel suddenly keeled over. The cream apprentice hesitantly rushed to her side.

"I'm fine," she said through clenched teeth, "I just don't feel very-" and with that, Angel passed out.


	18. 1: Chapter 16

**Hallo! Sorry this is a bit short. If you have left a review, the reply would be in the previous chapter in which I edited.**

 **BTW I do not ship Angel and Dawny (Can you ship your own characters?)**

 **PLEASE Rate and Review! I _Really_ appreciate it!**

 **Enjoy the story! ~Ebonyfire**

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Chapter 16:

Hours passed and the sun was soon to set. As Angel woke up, dead, crumbled plant hung on her patchy fur from the makeshift bed of dry leaves she lay upon. She gazed wearily around when a delicious sensation filled her nostrils and made her jaws water.

On the ground was a limp squirrel, its neck obviously snapped and a tasty aroma wafting from it. Angel hesitantly nibbled at the meat before widening her eyes. She now looked down at the ground to see only the remains of a squirrel, most of the flesh had been taken away by her feverous devouring. The fresh-kill demolished in a few ravenous bites.

"Oh thank Starclan," Angel looked up to see Dawnpaw standing a few tail-lengths away, and to her surprise, the winged apprentice wore a strained look of worry on her brow, "I was one moment away from racing over to Speckledove!"

The azure gazed apprentice trotted over and placed a white tipped tail on Angel's forehead. She then glanced down to the eaten fresh-kill.

"How are you feeling?" she questioned. Angel felt a warmth in her chest for the wild cat's kindness. She smiled, you should always be grateful for that kindness.

"Better, now that I have some food in my belly!" she weakly joked, she still trembled a bit, but with every moment Angel felt a little bit more of her strength return.

"Thank goodness you are," sighed Dawnpaw, "I was afraid I would have to bring you to my clan."

"Why?" she tilted her grey and white head, "Is your clan bad?"

Dawnpaw flinched and shrank back a bit, not making eye contact with Angel, "They can be a bit," she shuffled a bit with an unreadable expression plastered on her face, "Unwelcoming to new, um, and different cats."

The loner could plainly see this was a touchy subject and just nodded. When she looked around, she realized that this wasn't any forest she had passed through.

"Where are we?" a maple leaf fluttered down from the canopy of leaves above and landed nearby, this seemed to be a very peaceful place.

"I think," Dawnpaw began, "we are in the back woods, or also called the Unknown-Woods by my clan."

"What's your clan like?"

"My clan is, is…" the young she-cat bit her lip, "It's like a big group of cats, like the tribe I guess. We live with each other, help each other, and live by the Warrior Code. It is a set of fair laws that binds us together and makes us righteous and strong," Angel's dark blue eyes sparkled with interest, "We live in four separate clans with different territories, Meadowclan, Shadeclan, Rainclan, and my clan, Cloudclan. Oh, and of course Starclan, where we go when we die. Our warrior ancestors live there and watch over us."

"Kind of like angels?"

Dawnpaw paused and smiled, "Kind of like angels."

Dawnpaw started to talk about the leader's nine lives and medicine cats and other things when she noticed how late it was getting.

"I better get home," she told Angel, who looked disappointedly at her, "I can't walk there in the dark."

"Why not fly?" the loner asked.

The cream apprentice stared off blankly as she pondered it.

"I- I don't how, and I don't know if my clan would-"

"Haven't one of the "warriors" taught you yet?" Dawnpaw blinked in surprise.

"Why would they? _How_ would they?" then, a thought occurred to Angel.

"Your, your clanmates _do_ have wings, right?" The young she-cat shook her head.

"I'm the only one, from what I know, there has never been an actual cat with wings. Only in legend have I heard of them," Angel chuckled.

"They must treat you like a king, uh, leader then!" Dawnpaw's eyes grew dark.

"Anything but," she murmured, "They, I think, I think they are afraid of me. Maybe it's because I'm different, maybe it's because of the sun going out…"

"Pffft," Angel rolled her eyes, "That just superstition, you are a wonder. I mean, there's no other like you! I think their just jealous."

Dawnpaw couldn't suppress a small laugh and smiled. She then gave her goodbyes as she padded away.

"Angel?" the loner opened her eyes from where she lay, "I'll, I'll think about flying. And I just wanted to tell you," Dawnpaw let a beaming smile spread across her face, "thank you."

"Thank me?" the scrawny she-cat blinked, "I should be thanking you!"

But it was too late, for the winged cat was already walking away, the lovely, orange light of sunset in the distance making her pelt glow. A love formed in both cats that day, and a bud had grown. A bud that one day may bloom into a real friendship. For Angel had always been taught that you should savor every kind thing that happens to you. So the former kittypet had always been a little to kind, just so that others could savor it to. And a feeling in her heart told her that this new cat needed more kindness than ever.


	19. 1: Chapter 17

**The book is coming to an end! Not now, but soon. Soon soon. Soon soon soon.**

 **Thank you all for reading :D It really means a lot to me!**

 **BTW I'm now into undertale, but don't worry, I beat the entire game in one day.**

 **That just goes to show how much of a life I have :'D**

 **Reply to BRUH: omg thank you! From what I hope, this is the beginning of my writing career!**

 **Rate and Review! And thx for reading! ~Ebonyfire**

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Chapter 17:

Dawnpaw couldn't help but smile as she reentered the moorland, she had mixed emotions, but they were good. And she liked the feeling of helping some cat, and making a new friend.

The tangerine blaze of the setting sun made the land glow. It was a beautiful evening, the bird song was slowly coming to a halt and the new chime of crickets began. A mocking bird fluttered from a tree from the Crescent-Woods and Dawnpaw watched it fly over all the way to the Claw-Woods.

 _Fly._

Dawnpaw kept trotting forward, wishing she could stop to take in the beauty around her without being late to get back to camp.

 _Fly._

She tasted the air as the scent of rabbit crossed her path.

 _Fly._

She stopped.

 _Fly._

A hunger in her grew, a faint, yet familiar hunger taking over.

 _Fly._

What was it she needed to do to full fill this sudden urge? What did she need to do?

 _Fly._

Dawnpaw gazed up at the sky, a few wispy clouds blew slowly across the warm colored expanse. The wind was soft but seemed faster up there, faster in the sky. She felt her heart pound and found herself unfolding her wings, and to no objection. The breeze caressed her feathers and it whispered words of encouragement in her ears. She could take it no longer, this intensity, this longing, it was taking over.

Dawnpaw leapt forward and flapped her mighty wings.

 _Fly._

Her take-off was clumsy but an instinct took over and she began to pound her tawny wings. She breathed in sharp breaths of excitement as she slowly rose. Dawnpaw kept her head faced to the sky, but after about five minutes her wings and back began to ache from the workout and she grew tired. A stronger air current thrust by and she steadied herself into a glide, the wind sending a rush of adrenaline through her.

Dawnpaw gasped.

As she looked down at the landscape, the scenery was extremely beautiful, painting worthy. The sunset turned the land into a warm orange and the breeze blew across the fields, creating golden ripples that shined like water. But what was most amazing was that from up here she could still see the dew drops from the rain, making the entire land sparkle. She could see the winding river like a ribbon cast over her clan's territory. Dawnpaw smiled widely, her heart beating faster than a rabbit runs.

Being able to view this all, being able to feel the breeze carry her aloft like pollen, it felt like she was weightless, the freedom, it felt like she had never been owned by a clan at-

"DAWNPAW!" an angry yowl made her flutter in panic, looking down, her stomach flipped. The large group of cats heading to the gathering had been walking and seen her, and now a _very_ angry looking Honeystar was yowling from atop a rock.

The cream apprentice, who was almost glowing golden in the sun's light, steadily glided down from where she was. She twisted and turned so that she would land to the ground next to the cats, even if her head screamed for her to run off and pretend it never happened. As Dawnpaw spiraled down, she landed with a tumbled, paws flying over her head as she somersaulted on the grassy floor. She still wore a smile of joy as she lay in the dirt with all eyes on her, but as she lifted her gaze to meet Honeystar's, it faded faster than a dew drop in the hot leaf-green sun.

"Just _what_ in the name of Starclan do you think you were doing?" her accusing tone made Dawnpaw flinch.

"I- I-" Dawnpaw gulped, "I was just trying to, to-"

"To what?! To get yourself spotted by every clan around!?" the apprentice shrank even closer to the ground, wishing the earth would just swallow her up.

"I just never h-had flown before," Honeystar did not look amused, "I thought I could try j-just that once, and, and-"

"And what?" Honeystar's powering dominance was overwhelming, "Get found out? Let the other clans know we have a deformity as you in our midst? Do you know what they would do if they found out about you?"

"N-no…" Dawnpaw then felt like she didn't need to know the answer, but the other cat continued.

"They would capture you," the leader's emerald gaze was slitted, "They would torture you," the apprentice's eyes widened, "They would tear off your wings. They would make you suffer beyond your worst nightmares. They would wound you, they would rape you, you would be exiled, you would be-"

The apprentice then didn't want to hear anymore, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Dawnpaw sobbed, covering her ears, "I won't do it again, I'm sorry!"

The thick furred, golden she-cat seemed satisfied, "Glad to hear it," Honeystar said coldly and turned around to the rest of the group, "Someone take her to camp," she commanded.

The shame and fear flowing through Dawnpaw made her sink her head low as she shakily walked through the parted group. _Did anyone see me?_ She thought fearfully, _Is it already too late?_ How could a cat do such a thing? Is her clan like that, or is it only safe here?

The cats around her whispered harshly as she padded by, her tail trailing on the ground leaving small billows of dust to settle.

"What a freak," one cat hissed.

"Disgraceful," spat another.

"Disgusting."

"Shameful."

"A sorry excuse for a cat."

Now, more than ever, did Dawnpaw wish she would sink down into the earth and disappear. Two pairs of hateful, gleaming eyes made her turn her head to be face to face with Cottonpaw and Walnutpaw, both on their way to their first gathering.

"Nice going _worm-breath,_ you'll make a nice slave to a Shadeclan cat," Walnutpaw growled.

"Yeah, maybe you'll finally have an actual purpose you _freak,_ " snickered Cottonpaw.

Dawnpaw shook and tears streaked down her cheeks, this made the cats grin.

"Aww, is little bird-brain gonna cry?" the young golden tom mocked her.

"Do it _Dung_ paw, cry for us, I dare you. Come on, _cry,_ " Dawnpaw sniffled and her vision grew blurry. The two apprentices roared with laughter.

"You can teach this creature a lesson later, my darlings. You don't want to be late to your first gathering do you?" Willowrain had stepped up behind her children and glared down at Dawnpaw, both nodded and padded away with cruel giggles, but she stayed behind.

"Move it," Willowrain spat, and Dawnpaw flinched back and hurriedly slunk away, and to her relief, she met with the kind face of her foster mother in her escape.

"Oh my lovely," Rosetail greeted her with pity in her crimson eyes, "Come along, we must go home now."

The queen wrapped her tail around the apprentice's shoulders and wings and steadily walked away from the group with her, leaving behind the harsh glares of her clanmates.

"Alright," Leafwhisker sighed, "Let's get going, we have much to discuss with Rushingstar."

For most of the walk back, both cats remained silent, only the song of crickets and the babbling of water speaking aloud. After a bit though, Dawnpaw spoke up.

"W-what's going to happen to me?" she fretted, her eyes staring straight at the ground as they padded along.

"I don't know," Rosetail murmured, "But you'll have to face the consequences without fear, or it'll just get worse," she then turned to look at the pitiful apprentice, "You know this is to protect you?" she mewed, "So nothing happens to you."

"I, I know, but-" tears welled up on the edges of her azure eyes, "Do they have to be so cruel to me?"

"Oh love," Rosetail stopped and Dawnpaw raised her head up, "Some cats just don't know how to accept things that are different. That's why there are four clans, so that we may live with cats alike to us," she brushed her light brown tail down the young cat's back comfortingly, "One day they'll accept you," she mewed, looking deeply into Dawnpaw's eyes, "You just need to show them what's in your heart."

Dawnpaw smiled weakly, "Thanks mom," she whispered, and Rosetail let the winged cat lean on her. She murmured into to Dawnpaw's ear as the apprentice closed her eyes and let her tears stream cleanly down her soft, white cheeks.

"One day," her faint voice brushed her foster-daughter's ear, "One day…"


	20. 1: Chapter 18

**Thank you all for reviewing and reading! It really means a lot to me!**

 **The next chapter (I think) is going to be the last chapter of book one!**

 **Yay!**

 **I just want to let you all know that I have been working really hard to make this story much more then your regular warriors fanfic**

 **Thank you all so much for supporting me all the way.**

 **Big things are about to happen to Dawnpaw, big things.**

 **R &R and thank you again for reading! **

**Enjoy! ~Ebonyfire**

* * *

Chapter 18:

Dawnpaw lay in her stale nest, resting in a tense, dreamless slumber that really could hardly be called resting. The night was warm and as she arrived home she was met with the worried face of Fireflypaw, who stated she was fretting all day that a cat had lost their temper and something terrible happened to Dawnpaw. It comforted her a little to know she wasn't completely hated.

Her three foster siblings were still awake, playing and jumping on fireflies in joy. But she couldn't talk to them, all she wanted to do was sleep. Which was much harder than she expected, and now she was being awaked by the voice of Honeystar, calling the Clan together underneath the Clan-Branch.

Dawnpaw felt the sudden urge to vomit.

She exited the leafy branches of her den to see most of the Clan already gathered, and she slowly stalked her way to the side, hiding herself slightly in some reeds at the edge of camp. But no cat seemed interested in her, and any who did see her just looked away. If this wasn't her punishment ceremony, then what was it?

"Cats of Cloudclan!" Honeystar's voice rang out, "Last night at the gathering we had spoken with the leader of Rainclan, Rushingstar," some cats muttered a few curses at the naming of who they had spoken to, they obviously didn't like the opposing leader, "We had informed him that no longer would we tolerate his Clan hunting in our territory, and if he were to hunt one more time in the small field next to his Clan's stone-land, it would result in battle."

"Finally," Duskbird raked her claws in the grass, her golden eyes filled with a feisty energy, "Took 'em long enough!"

"But," the leader's green eyes grew dark, "He said that he would give up the rest of his lives to give his clan the prey they need and he will be waiting there tomorrow, with all of his clan behind him."

Cats hissed in rage and astonishment, growling about how they would make fresh-kill of every Rainclan cat they got their claws on.

"So today," Leafwhisker spoke up, "All cats will focus on sharpening their fighting skills and the Claw-Woods will be filled with the sounds of cats ready for battle!" the Clan cheered, "We shall meet Rainclan before the sun sets, and then, we shall fight!"

He then met with some warriors as the cats departed, assigning who will hunt and who will practice fighting. Tadpolekit excitedly padded after Speckledove as she went to her den for inventory, proposing to help her and she happily complied.

"Our first battle!" Cottonpaw's tail was fluffed up twice its size, "I can't wait!"

"Yeah!" Walnutpaw swiped his unsheathed claws out at a pretend enemy, "I'm gonna murder those Rainclan scum!"

Willowrain purred as she watched her kits play fight in the center of camp, the elders lay on the Sun-Sand rocks in the warm light of the day and watched too.

"Once upon a time," Bramblefoot rasped, "I was ten times their energy, and some." Bluestripe chuckled at his comment.

"I remember you as the one who complained the most about training and any kind of work!" Bramblefoot snorted at her reply.

"I still was the fiercest on the battlefield!" he gazed fiercely at a beetle and swiped it with his paw, "If only I could never age! I would be out there winning it for my Clan!"

"And limping around with your lame paw," Barkjaw growled, "Now will you two stop barking like a pack of coyotes and let me nap?"

Bluestripe instantly looked tired, "A nap sounds nice," she mewed and stretched on the warm rock, eyes closed.

"You two," Bramblefoot huffed, "It's like you never want youth again," but even he was asleep within a few moments of settling down, snores sounding just like a growling badger.

A brown tom with white streaks on his pelt padded over to the two parents of the playing apprentices, Willowrain looked up at him and smiled.

"Sister," he began awkwardly, "You do know that your kits can't fight this battle?" she narrowed her eyes, "They are only a moon into their apprenticeship, they would be torn to shreds."

"Would not!" Walnutpaw objected as he stopped fighting, but the deputy ignored him.

"Couldn't you help me let them go?" Willowrain put on an innocent face, "For your dear sister?"

He paused, but then shook his head, making the brown speckled she cat glare at him, "No," he objected, "It's for their own safety."

"Awww…" both kits sighed, "Mama, can't you make him let us go? Please Mama, _pleeaaase?_ " but Acornstep spoke up.

"No, my children," he meowed, "You must abide to the deputy's rules." They both grumbled and walked off, before Willowrain went off to follow them, she turned to her mate.

"Did you have to be so sharp with them?" she hissed, "They're my kits!" He stepped back and widened his amber eyes.

"Well if you keep spoiling _our_ kits then they will turn out to be brats!" she merely hissed and stomped away to join her kits, leaving him with an angry, bewildered expression, "W-Willowrain."

Dawnpaw watched this all from where she hid, she always saw the rest of her blood kin as a perfect family, but now she watched as the thin stitching of their relationship loosen. She even felt a twinge of guilt, was this her fault?

"Dawnpaw," the cream apprentice nearly jumped out of her skin as the deputy, Leafwhisker, said her name from beside her. She turned herself to face him.

"Dawnpaw, I would like you to go on the hunting patrol. Since you won't be fighting after all, you can make use of yourself in other ways," regard of respect in his tone was surprising, he was treating her as he would any other apprentice. She nodded.

"Good," he sighed, "Alert the group I sent you, they will be leaving in a moment and I don't think my other niece and nephew would want to go at this time," now Dawnpaw was not only surprised, but touched that he called her his niece, in a way. Did he really consider her as family or?..

But before she could say a word, he hurriedly said, "Now go!" so she sped off towards the leaving group.

It was made up of the only cats not heading for battle other than the kits and elders, not to mention Cottonpaw and Walnutpaw. In lead was Brackenheart, and behind him was Azuregaze, Fogeye, Tansyblossom, and Littleleap whom of which looked extremely awkward for some reason.

"Yes?" Brackenheart asked her warily, she shuffled her paws.

"Leafwhisker a-asked me to go with you," she stammered. The group looked at each other for a moment before Brackenheart looked down at Dawnpaw and nodded.

"Yes, follow in back," he commanded, and she did as she was told, standing in the rear with Littleleap who eyed her with curiosity. Though he tried not to stare, it was pretty plain. She felt as though she was some sort of side attraction to gaze at and stared down at her paws.

"Let's head out," the brown tom mewed and they padded through the tunnel out of camp. The group turned and headed to the Crescent woods and Dawnpaw began to get worried that they might wander into the Unknown-Woods and find Angel, who she left some fresh-kill for today last night but she still worried a bit, but instead they just kept going until they were in the middle of the moorland.

"Me and Fogeye will go hunt in that direction," Azuregaze stated, "The rest of us can split up." The other members of the group nodded and departed, and Dawnpaw soon found herself alone. She glanced from side to side, wondering what should do, and ultimately decided that she should just try to hunt for a rabbit.

The wind blew through the open fields creating ripples through the golden grass. The sweet smell of heather nectar was complemented by the scent of rain being carried by the breeze, and on the distance, dark clouds hovered ominously.

 _Looks like yesterday night's rain wasn't the end,_ Dawnpaw thought, and started to open her jaws to see if she could scent anything other than those aromas. She then caught the faint whiff of rabbit and followed it.

The wind was blowing to Dawnpaw's side but she kept her position, she never had hunted a rabbit before and trying seemed exciting. So she crouched in the grass, which slightly sheltered her from the wind's push. Dawnpaw then came to the edge of a slope and saw a rabbit warren teaming with the musky scent of rabbits. She swished her tail, which sound just like the wind blowing on the grass but she still reprimanded herself for doing it. And as she peeked through the heather, she was disappointed to find the warren empty.

Dawnpaw half slid half walked down the hill and came to a halt in front of a hole entrance. She sniffed it and found that if the rabbits were in there, they wouldn't be coming out very soon with the storm on its way. Dawnpaw snorted in frustration and began to leave the slightly sheltered hollow.

Then she heard a scream.

Dawnpaw perked her ears and raced up the hill towards the river, to where she heard the yowl of terror. Bursting through the reeds to the river's bank, she looked in the water to watch in horror a small tabby head submerge into the depths of the river.

"Help me!" Tansyblossom gasped as she reemerged, "Somebody help me! I can't swim!" She desperately thrashed her limbs around as the current pulled her farther downstream.

Dawnpaw panicked, what should she do? So she raced on the bank of the river calling for the tabby she-cat to hold on.

"Save me!" she screeched with what little breath she had before falling back under the waves. Dawnpaw stared for a moment before closing her eyes. She had to help her. Even if it meant death. She made a promise to that, even if saving this cat was the cost of respect. Even if giving up her life to save this cat was it.

Quick as a flash, Dawnpaw raced through the reeds away from the river. Tansyblossom's head broke surface once more and stared in horror that the apprentice was gone.

As the warrior struggled downstream, she swore she saw a figure atop a hill next to the river a little farther down. Was Starclan already here for her?

"Please!" she cried, "Someone! Anyone! Save m-" Tansyblossom's call for help was cut short as a figure flew over the water. It glowed as a beam of sunlight broke from the clouds and with its wings outstretched it looked like a golden eagle.

"Hold on!" Dawnpaw yelled to her, and with her curved claws, she hooked onto the light brown tabby's back. The cat didn't complain but instead went limp, thinking that a cat of Starclan, or an eagle, had come to take her to the afterlife.

"Fox dung!" Dawnpaw growled as she barely lifted the waterlogged warrior out of the water. And as she was almost the other side, weight was too much and she gave a few thrashing beats of her wings before splashing into the river. Thankfully, she was out of the current and grabbed Tansyblossom's scruff in her jaws before heaving her to shore.

Both gasped and sputtered as they lay on the muddy river bank. Their sodden pelts hung to their bodies and the wet apprentice questioned the warrior.

"Are, you, okay?" she said breathlessly between gasped. The tabby she-cat coughed up some water and nodded wearily.

"Thank Starclan," she smiled and sighed, "I really thought you were dead."

"Me too," Tansyblossom was shivering, "That was way to close," she opened her leafy, green eyes and smiled weakly, "Thank you, thank you so much."

The two cats slowly limped to the meeting place and was met with the rest of the group. Azuregaze gasped as the two soaked cats emerged through the grass and Tansyblossom's brother, Littleleap, raced forward and jumped between the two cats.

"What happened to you?" Littleleap demanded and started to hurriedly lick the she-cat to dry her, he then stopped and turned to Dawnpaw, " _What did you do to her?!_ " the cream apprentice shook her head to his growling in shock.

"No Littleleap," Tansyblossom mewed, "You don't understand-"

"It's okay Tansyblossom," Fogeye growled, "You can tell us the truth, there's no need to defend this scum."

Dawnpaw was soon singled out in the center of the cats.

"But, it's not what it-" she was cut off once more.

"It may be hard to believe, Tansy," Azuregaze gently put, "But even young cats can be cruel, especially ones who have suffered like her. They can become twisted. If she did anything to you, you need to tell us-"

"But that's not how it went!" Tansyblossom yelled, and the group grew silent.

"I, I fell in the river. She," she pointed at Dawnpaw with her tail, "She saved me."

Every cat stared at the cream she-cat and she feared they wouldn't believe her.

"I guess," Littleleap stared guiltily at the two soaked cats, "We owe you an apology," the whole group bowed their heads, even Brackenheart, who hadn't said a word.

Dawnpaw contemplated this for a moment, they were asking for forgiveness, should she? Please, that was a silly question.

"It, it's okay," she mewed, and they all looked at her surprised, "I won't blame you, nobody trusts me anyway, it's not like you all should take the entire blame," she smiled and now every cat looked much guiltier.

"Thank you for saving my sister," Littleleap bowed his head, "She's the only family I have left."

"Yes," said Brackenheart, his amber eyes gleaming with an emotion. Was that… pride? "We owe you a huge thanks for saving the life of a valued warrior, the Clan will know of this."

"Azuregaze, take them back to camp," Fogeye meowed to his sister, and they left.

Dawnpaw was woken once more from her rest, but this time, she felt refreshed and rejuvenated, as if someone had slipped some healing herb in her fresh-kill. She got up and stretched as she heard the excited yowls of her clanmates.

Outside, a steady rain fell, threatening to turn into a full blown storm at any moment. The cream apprentice was hesitant to step out into and get her fur all soaked, especially since she had just fixed her den roof so she _wouldn't_ get wet. But she joined her clan anyway.

"It is almost just before sunset!" Honeystar called out, "And we shall leave now!" the cats cheered loudly and leader smiled with pride, "Let us make this battle a victory!"

The large group of warriors and two apprentices, Brookpaw and Fireflypaw, departed through the camp entrance led by the golden leader, her deputy, and the medicine cat with Fireflypaw, who was helping Speckledove carry herbs.

As soon as the cats shouted their goodbyes and the sound of pawsteps were drowned out by the rushing of the river and pattering of rain, the remaining cats went to rest in their nests, waiting for them to return home. Dawnpaw felt restless, and she knew she couldn't hunt in this weather, so she turned and headed to the nursery.

"Rosetail?" she mewed as she pushed through the ivy tendrils, the warm scent of milk brought memories flooding back as she entered. To her surprise, Dawnpaw was only met by her three foster siblings who were only a bit smaller then her for they would be apprenticed in a moon or so. The smiled as she stepped into the nursery and got up from their bed.

"Dawnpaw!" they squeaked and Turtlekit and Fawnkit bowled her over with a leap. She struggled underneath them as Tadpolekit watched with a shy smile.

"Where's Rosetail?" she grunted as she squirmed from underneath them, the kits looked even more excited.

"She went to battle!" Turtlekit tumbled off of Dawnpaw and mewed.

"Yeah! She was training all day!" Fawnkit squealed as Turtlekit hurtled himself at her.

"She said she would bring us back the pelt of a Rainclan warrior!" Tadpolekit put quietly with a smile.

A hard pit formed in Dawnpaw's stomach, she knew a full grown she-cat could take care of herself, but this didn't change the fact that this increasing worry was growing inside Dawnpaw for her Foster-Mother. What would she do if something happened to her? Dawnpaw had no reason to worry about Fireflypaw, the albino apprentice would be busy helping Speckledove and the wounded the entire time, but what about Rosetail? She would be actually fighting, and that's what scared Dawnpaw.

"W-what if you need something?" the apprentice stammered, the kits didn't seem to notice her anxiety at all.

"We'll just ask you or dad," Turtlekit grunted through his play fight.

"Aren't you guys a little worried?" she tried to hide her worry, the kits then stopped fighting.

"A little," Fawnkit admitted.

"A lot," said Turtlekit.

"A lot a lot," Tadpolekit sighed.

Dawnpaw sighed herself, it was good to know this, but how would she comfort the kits? And herself at that?

"I am too," she sat down and the kits then looked at each other.

"D-Dawnpaw?" Fawnkit stared up at the winged apprentice as well as the others, "Will she be okay?"

"I don't know," the kits' eyes began to look watery and they looked down at their paws, and then Dawnpaw got an all too familiar feeling, a feeling of genius, independence, and hope.

"But I can make sure she is alright," the kits' heads swung up, "Maybe I could…" she trailed off.

"Follow her?"

"Watch her?"

"Make sure Mama's okay?" Dawnpaw nodded and they all smiled.

"Would you?" said Fawnkit, "Would you really do that for us?"

"I'll do it for all of us," the three mewed with relief and happiness.

Dawnpaw thought about what she was doing, she would have to sneak out of camp in this storm, follow the group unnoticed, and watch the battle from the shadows just in the name of a little bit of worry.

It would be worth it to have her Foster-Mother safe and sound.

"I better head out then," Dawnpaw then said hurriedly, "You three cover for me." They all agreed and she exited, and as she did, she silently prayed to Starclan that Rosetail would be fine.

She didn't know what she would do if she wasn't.


	21. 1: Chapter 19

**I have to thank you all for coming so far to read my book!**

 **This, in fact, is the finale chapter of book 1.**

 **I am overjoyed that I got this far and I wish you all the best reading.**

 **Your's truly ~Ebonyfire**

* * *

Chapter 19:

Dawnpaw snuck through the empty camp, praying no one would see her. She inched her way to the other side and slid into the reed walls around the island, for the entrance was being guarded by Fogeye. Even though he lacked sight in his cloudy eye, he still was hard to sneak up on. So Dawnpaw squeezed through the tall stocks and looked upon the raging river over the muddy ledge of the camp's island.

At first she was hesitant, but then decided there was only one thing to do. Dawnpaw crouched to the ground and launched herself into the air after a moment, but the rain was surprisingly hard to fight and about half way across the swelled river, she fell with a splash into the water.

The current weaved around her legs and she found herself atop a submerged rock. The river pulled at the apprentice with a fierce force and she dug her hooked claws into the moss of the water stone. Dawnpaw spotted a foaming lump in the river and leapt to it to land on another rock. And one after one, she made it to the opposite bank with last leap and a grateful thank to Starclan.

She found herself now travelling through the edge of the unknown woods and decided to make a detour, better safe than sorry and Dawnpaw knew where she was going. Sort of.

She weaved through the dense trees until she found the sleeping form of a grey and white cat in a half moss half leaf nest.

"Angel!" she whispered with a hiss, "Angel wake up!"

The she-cat turned around groggily and lifted her head.

"Wha? Oh, Dawnpaw," she brightened, "Thanks for coming back!"

Dawnpaw nodded, "Are you hungry? I'm in a hurry."

"Only a little, I could wait till morning," she tilted her spotted head, "What's the rush?"

"I have to go to a battle," Dawnpaw sunk her claws into the earth, which was dry underneath the thickly leafed tree.

"A battle!" Angel exclaimed, "Oh no! Will you be alright?"

"Don't worry, I'm not fighting. Truthfully, I'm not supposed to go at all!" she glanced over her shoulder, "I'm following them so I can make sure my mother won't get hurt."

"I see…" the loner trailed off with an unhappy expression.

"Are you alright? You aren't getting wet are you?"

"No, no," Angel reassured her, "It's just that I had this terrible dream, it was of a bluebird. It was singing, but then its song turned horrid and gargled, like it was choking or drowning or something," the she-cat looked troubled from the memory of the dream.

"Well if that's all, I better get going."

"Alright, goodbye."

"See you."

Dawnpaw stated her farewells and promised to return tomorrow before leaving Angel. Not giving a second thought to her troubles.

She trekked through the forest before turning and heading into the Crescent-Woods, the pouring rain seeping into the less dense woodland. It pattered down on floor and leaves above in a thumping melody. But it didn't stay like that for long as the storm heightened as she neared the end of the woods and border of the territory. Now the rain tore down in a violent storm and the rivers rushed with its water.

In the fields it hammered down on Dawnpaw mercilessly, she had to squint her eyes as it flooded onto her back and wings in a stinging current. She hesitated to go back for a moment, but she continued on. She was so close.

The border was barely recognizable in this weather, but Dawnpaw could scent it as she crossed over it, even in the rain she could tell it was fresh. The Rainclan cats must have marked it here today for Cloudclan had not even put their scent on it.

 _Oh,_ Dawnpaw realized in the pouring rain, _this must be the declared "new" addition to their territory._

Forward, she met a slope, then, as she looked over it through the wall of grass and thundering storm, the scene of the battle spread itself before her.

A stream from the Crescent-Woods had run down the slope to meet the river coming from Rainclan's territory and in between the two was a small field, the field that Rainclan had been hunting in. It sat like an island in their territory and now they were claiming it as theirs, but Cloudclan was not letting it go that easily.

In front of Dawnpaw, in the field before her, was writhing mass of bodies. Screeches filled the air and claws gleamed with crimson blood. Battle cries roared out, only disturbed by the rumbling thunder that shook the land. Lightning split the sky like a giant claw had torn the black, and for a moment, Dawnpaw could see the colors of the enemy's pelts mixing with her clan's.

But she couldn't distinguish them from here, she needed to get closer.

Silently, though not as if it mattered now, she slid down the mud slick hill and made her way closer to cats. The crack of lighting filled Dawnpaw's ears and a bright light filled the sky for the tiniest moment before being followed by the growling of thunder. It shook the ground so suddenly that Dawnpaw leapt in fear and surprise before racing forward.

Straight into the midst of battle.

Cats raced around her, limbs intertwined and outstretched claws met flesh. Dawnpaw cowered down and scrambled away in any direction she could. But no cat seemed to notice her, too busy in the fight of their own and she could barely be seen in the raining darkness anyway.

Blood splattered onto the grass floor and stained it red. Dawnpaw ducked and dodged with panic, squirming from underneath cat's legs and falling with a slip in a pool of blood or water every few moments.

 _Starclan help me!_ She begged as she fled away from every cat she met with in the battle. She looked behind her as she sprinted away and slipped on the flattened, soaked grass. Dawnpaw slid on her side right into a warrior of Rainclan.

It was a grey tabby she-cat with swirling stripes and green eyes. She turned and spat, ready to take on every enemy that went her way, but as she looked at Dawnpaw, she only felt confusion and anger. Not for her wings, for as she lay on them in the dark battle in the rain they blended into the shadows, but another reason.

"What?" she growled, "Why is Cloudclan sending a kit so young into battle? Those scum!" she glared down at Dawnpaw, but her expression softened with pity, "Run, young child. This isn't your battle to fight."

The shaking cream apprentice gladly scrambled away and raced off once more. She came to a halt in front of the river bank to see warriors clawing at each other in the shallows. Snarling and biting at each other while splashing in the water, clouds of red being dragged downstream towards the falls.

She swerved around and began running along the edge of it towards safety when she saw a cat in the flash of light from the bowels of the storm.

To her right, Rosetail fought on the land with a young, grey-blue she-cat with white paws and a white belly. The Rainclan cat's blue eyes burned with excitement as they tussled on the soggy earth. Dawnpaw stood rigid, not knowing what to do.

Rosetail delivered a precise blow to the cat's head and she stumbled back a bit giving the brown Cloudclan cat the perfect chance to strike. But she didn't, for she didn't want to cause too much harm to this cat barely out of her apprenticeship. So instead, the blue eyed she-cat shook her head and lunged forward.

"NO!" Dawnpaw screeched out as the young she-cat scratched open her Foster-Mother's throat. Without a second thought, the cat yowled out in victory and raced away, not aware of the damage she had done.

"ROSETAIL!" Dawnpaw sobbed and raced over to the limp form.

"D-Dawnpaw?" Rosetail's eyes were half closed, "What a-are you do-doing here?-"

"Don't talk!" Dawnpaw found herself crying, fear making her tremble uncontrollably, "Where's Speckledove?" Rosetail sighed and closed her eyes.

"There's no chance for me," she coughed and a drizzle of blood ran out of the corner of her mouth and one nostril, "Not anymore…"

"Don't say that!" Dawnpaw prodded her with her paw, "You're going to be okay!" tears ran down the young cat's cheeks, "You gotta b-be okay!"

Rosetail reopened her eyes and looked at sobbing Dawnpaw.

"Shh… love, don't cry…" the brown she-cat lifted up a trembling paw and wiped away the tears on one side of her Foster-Daughter's face, "Don't cry…"

"R-Rosetail…" Dawnpaw lifted her own paw to hold onto her mother's, "P-please…" the queen shook her head.

"I can f-feel my life ru-unning out of me," she gasped, "I f-feel the c-cold taking my body over…"

"No!-" Rosetail moved her paw over the cream she-cat's mouth.

"Tell my kits I'll be w-watching them," tears began to run down her face like the rain that was falling, "t-tell Brackenh-heart too," her gaze then seemed to fixate on something else.

"Rosetail?.." Dawnpaw squeezed her mother's paw, "What's?- Please, no, please Rosetail please…"

"Mother?" Rosetail murmured, barely audible in the loud battle, "Crimsonthorn? You're here? Me and Tawnyrobin have been waiting for so long…"

"No Rosetail! No it's me! Dawnpaw!" She lifted both paws to her mother's and held it to her chest, crying uncontrollably.

"I'm coming…" the bleeding she-cat mewed faintly.

She seemed almost lost for a moment until she looked back at Dawnpaw and her voice hardened.

"My child," Dawnpaw shook with sobs and grasped her paw tighter, "You mustn't die out, you have to be strong. The others will try to put out your light, but you must stay kind, and tolerant, and determined…" Her crimson eyes, matching the growing pool of blood around her head, were filled with emotion, "I understand now, you're our last hope…"

Then, the she-cat's eyes dulled out, and the emotion faded, leaving them cloudy and glazed.

"No! No no no no no no!" Dawnpaw cried out, begging as her mother's paw slipped from between her's and fell to the wet ground.

"Rosetail! Rosetail wake up!" she begged, sobbing, "You have to wake up!"

But her mother's unseeing gaze didn't waver, and she did not respond.

"ROSETAIL!" Dawnpaw wailed out in anguish, throwing herself over her mother's body. Tremors raked her body violently with sobs. How could this happen! This was all her fault! All her-!

No.

This was all _her_ fault.

The image of the Rainclan cat attack her mother filled Dawnpaw's head and she rose from the now cooling body of Rosetail.

How _could_ she.

That cat's a monster.

She deserves to die.

She should die.

 _Die._

Dawnpaw stared blankly down at the brown pelted body before her.

She looked around until she spotted the she-cat.

 _Die._

A red mist filled Dawnpaw's vision and all the sounds of the battle were drowned out until it was silent.

 ** _Die._**

 ****She walked over to the she-cat, who had just barely fought off another cat that was now running away to retreat. Dawnpaw's unsheathed claws slid into the muddy earth with every step. The grey-blue cat yowled out in victory, raising her head to the sky.

Your time is done.

You've chosen your path.

You made your choice.

Your mistake.

Your _last_ mistake.

Prepare for your time.

Prepare for your time of pain.

Your time of suffering.

Like how I now suffer.

So I say,

Prepare for your time.

For your time.

For your time of _judgment._

Dawnpaw's eyes were slitted and bloodshot from her cries. She hung her head down and pulled her lips back in a snarl to show her pointed teeth. The cat lowered her head and noticed the her coming towards her, she turned and smiled gleefully at her new opponent.

And as the lightning lit up the land once more, Dawnpaw shot open her mighty wings and stood as a fierce and great silhouette. The only thing visible for the short moment was the icy glare of her eyes.

"What- What are you?!" the Rainclan warrior took a step backwards, stumbling in shock. Her blue eyes were stretched wide with fear and she stood frozen in terror.

"I. Am. An. **Angel**." Dawnpaw snarled and lunged forward, faster than a bullet, and grabbed hold of the cat's neck. Her cry was cut short by the loud sound of tearing flesh, and then,

silence.

The world seemed to be in slow motion. Scarlet droplets of blood danced in the air next to the falling droplets of rain. The cat slowly fell back with an expression of pure terror on her face as she slammed against the rain soaked ground. And Dawnpaw's face was still, her eyes emotionless and muzzle a crimson red as she landed on her front paws and closed her eyes.

When she reopened them, she was flooded with horror. At her paws was the limp body of a grey-blue she-cat. Her throat was torn violently open and blood gushed out onto the cream apprentice's white paws. Staining them a deep crimson. The she-cat gargled out a scream before twitching and falling still.

Dawnpaw felt vomit rising in her throat and she backed away from the murdered cat, shaking her head in dismay, her blood still dripping from the Cloudclan cat's muzzle.

 _Who's the monster?_ An unknown voice rang in Dawnpaw's head and she broke down crying. She wailed at the foot of the corpse, sobbing out "I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry!" over and over again.

 _You did this._

 _You're sick._

 _You're the monster._

Suddenly, the silence was broken and the sounds of the battle flooded back into her ears, along with yowls of terror and horror.

Cats still rushed around her but several stared at Dawnpaw and the young she-cat's body as the battle continued. The apprentice shakily lifted her head and the cats cried out once more. One cat cried out louder than the rest in fear and shock.

"A monster! Starclan help! Someone! Somebody help! It's a monster! A monster killed Bluebird!"


	22. Author's Notes 4 B1

**Tis the end, my friend...**

 **Hallo! This is Ebony and I'm going to leave my notes on book one!**

 **Below I'll be putting extra info, did you knows, and more!**

 **And don't worry, book two be here soon!**

 **(You guys don't even know what's coming (; )**

 **Truthfully, I really want to make this a six book set, but I don't know if I'll hold out for that long!**

 **Enjoy my Author's Notes 4 B1!**

* * *

 **Did you knows?**

 **1\. Tansyblossom never told a soul she didn't know how to swim.**

 **2\. Honeystar's warrior name was Honeyglow**

 **3\. Honeystar shares the same parents as Marigoldlight and Acornstep, but she is from an earlier litter.**

 **4\. Willowrain had a third sister (Dun Dun DUUUUN)**

 **5\. Rosetail had always been loyal, but sometimes the heart is stronger.**

 **6\. Honeystar is a year older then Yarrowfeather.**

 **7\. Rosetail's family consists of Barkjaw and Latesky as her grandparents from her mother's side,**

 **Crimsonthorn and Rhubarbleaf as her parents,**

 **and Tawnyrobin as her sister and she had a brother, Barkkit, after his grandfather, who died at birth.**

 **8\. Bramblefoot's original name was Brambleroot before his injury**

 **9\. The unknown woods was the location of a rockslide that kill 6 cats, it is said to be bad luck to hunt there.**

 **10\. Two cats in the recent past have died from "falling" off Glory-Falls.**

 **11\. There will be an upcoming warrior based off my evil pet cat Gigi.**

 **12\. The Tribe of Dappled Moonlight has existed in the back of one of my notebooks for quite some time.**

 **13\. Dewnose is named for his great tracking skills.**

 **14\. Duskbird is an only child.**

 **15\. Bluestripe was already old when she gave birth to Duskbird, but having tried and failed so many times to have kits, she gave it one more go.**

 **16\. Meadowclan's cat's names will be very flower/fruit orientated.**

 **17\. Yarrowfeather had always had a crush on Honeystar, he likes assertive, commanding she-cats.**

 **18\. Willowrain was to originally die in the battle. (too bad)**

 **19\. Bramblefoot had lived a friend filled, yet solitary life. He never had a mate.**

 **20\. I didn't know a Rosetail already existed until I re-read the first series. Too late.**

 **21\. Fawnkit has a crush on Brookpaw, so does Cottonpaw.**

 **22\. Cottonpaw is name after the plant, for some thought about wool. (educate yourselves!)**

 **23\. When Willowrain was Willowpaw, she had almost all the toms wrapped around her paw.**

 **24\. Willlowrain decided to become mates with Acornstep after his big sister became leader.**

 **25\. Willowrain's father was leader, her mother was the prettiest she-cat in the clan.**

 **26\. Dawnpaw hopes her warrior name will be Dawnsky.**

 **27\. Fawnkit wants her warrior name to be Fawnfeather, because she loves Dawnpaw.**

 **28\. Brookpaw wants to be Brookroar, (Weird...)**

 **29\. Fireflypaw doesn't really want to have a mouthful of a name, so she is hoping to just be Firefly.**

 **30\. Turtlekit doesn't even care what his warrior name will be, all he can think about is his title as "Turtlestar"!**

 **31\. Tadpolekit lacks self confidence and hopes his warrior name won't be to noticeable.**

 **32\. Yarrowpaw got the name Yarrowfeather after saving Tawnykit's and Rosekit's lives from a hawk.**

 **33\. To catch a water snake is a great honor, the bigger the better.**

 **34\. A herd of wild horses live in the fields of Meadowclan, how they got there? IDK**

 **35\. Walnutpaw was name "Walnut" because his father is "Acorn"**

* * *

 **Facts**

 **1\. This story took about 3 months (woah)**

 **2\. This is based off of a short comic I doodled.**

 **3\. Dawnkit's original name was Twilightkit in the comic.**

 **4\. Dawnpaw was originally a black she-cat with purple eyes.**

 **5\. I started this as a thirteen year old, I ended this book as a thirteen year old. Cool.**

 **6\. I can't imagine what took the writer of _The Outsiders_ so long!**

 **7\. An inspiration fueled story writes itself.**

 **8\. I am outcast and pretty lonely in real life.**

 **9\. My father passed away when I was 8.**

 **10\. I am not a cream she-cat, but I am blond with grey eyes.**

 **11\. My Yoloclan cat is Pastelpalettes.**

 **12\. Pastelle Palettes is the name of my MLP oc.**

 **13\. I have reassurance issues.**

 **14\. If I'm not encouraged, I can become depressed on something I'm working hard on.**

 **15\. This is the first book I've written, or, well, finished.**

 **16\. The planned names for all the books are,**

 **B1: Skies of Color**

 **B2: Melody of an Angel**

 **B3: Falling Stars**

 **B4: Web of Lies**

 **B5: Shadowed Horizon**

 **B6: Final Light/Dark Winter**

 **But they may or may not change at any given moment, they may also change as the story progresses.**

* * *

 **Special thanks**

 **Thank you to all my followers and readers! Without you, _The Sun's Final Light_ would have never gotten this far!**

 **It makes my day when someone sends me a review, and even after I finish my books I hope you continue to!**

 **So please, read on and give me the feed back you feel suited!**

 **This may be laying out my career path right before my eyes!**

 **Thank you all so much!**

 **~Ebonyfire of Fanfiction**


	23. BOOK 2: The Impurity of Perfection

**Hey everyone!  
I've made the decision to continue the story!  
I've also decided that I will have all the books in the same link, so you only have to follow one thing.  
Some well needed facts:  
Why can cats see the Moon-Willow? Answer: Drugs. Okay not drugs but natural gases that leak into the tunnels underground. Not harmful for long, but they do make a good way to link with Starclan.  
Why are there giant stone walls surrounding the Clans? Answer: More drugs. Okay, no more, but really, the cats live... in a giant crater. Yup, it landed in the center of a large range of mountains, but life soon found a way in.  
Hey! Shadeclan is an apparent rip-off of Shadowclan! Answer: Not really a question, but... No, they are _not_ Shadowclan. They are one of the most peaceful clans, reserved yes, but not willing to fight. They sped most of their time and energy hunting in their territory- which is necessary for them.  
Why is half of the Clans on a higher rock shelf? Answer: They live on a fault line, directly at two plate boundaries. This explains the mountain range and the rock falls that killed some cats in the unknown woodland in Cloudclan territory. Tectonic activity is a big thing going on there, this fault line also explains the fact of why there is an area of hot-springs in the territories. **

**Thank you all for your continued support!  
~Ebonyfire **

* * *

Warrior cats:

The Sun's Finale Light:

Book two: The Impurity of Perfection

Cloudclan Cats:

Leader: Honeystar\- A long legged, thick furred, golden she-cat with green eyes, mate of Yarrowfeather.

Deputy: Leafwhisker\- A light brown tom with white dapples and green eyes, brother of Willowrain.

Medicine cat: Speckledove-A gray-white she-cat with darker flecks and blue eyes, sister of Drizzlefur.

Warriors:

Marigoldlight\- A light gold she-cat with yellow eyes, sister of Acornstep and Honeystar.

Brackenheart\- A dusky brown tom with amber eyes, brother of Goldenhazel and Yarrowfeather.

Goldenhazel\- A light brown she-cat with gold eyes, sister of Yarrowfeather and Brackenheart.

Berrymist\- A gray she-cat with round, blue eyes, sister of Dewnose, mate of Leafwhisker.

Dewnose\- A light gray, white spotted, tom with dark blue eyes, brother of Berrymist, mate of Duskbird.

Yarrowfeather\- A husky, yellow eyed, brown tom with broad shoulders, brother of Brackenheart.

Drizzlefur\- A dark gray tom with black speckles and dark blue eyes, brother of Speckledove.

Fogeye\- A dull, faintly gray, white tom with blue eyes one eye is cloudy, brother of Azuregaze.

Azuregaze\- A pure white she-cat with brilliant blue eyes, is partially deaf, sister of Fogeye.

Duskbird\- A blue-gray she-cat with brown stripes and gold eyes, mother of Brookpaw and Fireflypaw.

Littleleap\- A small, dusky, brown tabby tom with no tail, brother of Tansyblossom.

Tawnyrobin\- A dark brown tabby she-cat with a tawny-crimson chest.

Tansyblossom\- A light brown tabby she-cat with green eyes and no tail, sister of Littleleap.

Acornstep\- A gold-brown, thick furred, tom with broad shoulders and amber eyes, mate of Willowrain.

Willowrain\- A light brown she-cat with darker speckles and blue eyes. Mate of Acornstep.

Apprentices:

Brookpaw\- A gray-blue tom with brown eyes, son of Duskbird. Mentor- Leafwhisker

Fireflypaw\- An albino she-cat with yellow eyes, daughter of Duskbird. Mentor- Marigoldlight

Cottonpaw\- A light brown she-cat with amber-green eyes, Willowrain's kit. Mentor- Azuregaze

Walnutpaw\- A golden brown tom with amber eyes, Willowrain's kit. Mentor- Littleleap

Dawnpaw\- A cream she-cat with azure eyes and tawny wings, Willowrain's kit. Mentor- Yarrowfeather

Queens:

(None)

Kits:

Turtlekit\- a dark brown tabby tom with green eyes and a black underbelly and a "half-sized" tail,

Fawnkit\- A light brown she-kit with white speckles and cherry colored eyes with a stump tail,

Tadpolekit\- A black tom with green eyes and a short, "half-sized" tail.

All are foster siblings to Dawnpaw.

Elders:

Bluestripe\- An old gray she-cat with white spots and a gray-blue stripe down her back.

Barkjaw\- An old dark brown tom with a black underbelly and lower jaw, great grandfather of the kits.

Bramblefoot\- An old orange tabby tom with a twisted foot.


	24. 2: Prologue

**Hmm... Mysterious!  
** **This kind of is a big deal actually, but it sounds all to familiar...**

 **Enjoy!**

 **~Ebonyfire**

Prologue:

Two kits roughhoused in the center of a sunny clearing, squealing and giggling with delight. A mother lay nearby in the shade of a tree, her mate behind her with his tail wrapped gently around her side. The kits playing in the center of camp weren't her's, she knew, for she imagined her kits so much more beautiful. Right now her own kits slept within her, and she idly awaited them to arrive. Her perfect, beautiful darlings.

Now the queen moaned from within a warm den, her pained gasps echoing around its stone walls. She cried out one last time and the final kit was borne into life.

"They're beautiful," a deep voice mewed, "What shall we name them?"

The queen looked down at her three new kits, two she-kits and one tom. With some careful decision, they named all three kits.

"Have you ever seen kits so perfect?" she purred, "They are absolutely magnificent."

The tom glanced at his beautiful mate, would she give these kits special treatment? No, that was silly, these were their kits. Of course she would praise them.

"Oh, oh my dear! Come quick! The kits are opening their eyes!" The queen's mate rushed through the ivy tendrils of the den and sat next to his mate, excitedly waiting for his children to gaze at their parents for the first time.

"My first little she-cat!" the queen cried with joy, "Oh, her eyes! They are the prettiest shade of blue! Like the open sky!" She licked her little kit's head with a smile, "You're so beautiful! Definitely the prettier of the litter! Oh, but just wait till your sister and brother open their eyes!"

Her mate had no time to put in a word, on their kit's eyes or the mother's comment, for their little son began to mew jealously and peek into the bright world.

"Oh darling! His eyes are like yours, but greener, like fresh grass, or leaves!" the she-cat's mate stared proudly down at his son, his eyes gleaming with his deeper shade of green.

"Come on my little reed blossom!" the pretty queen nudged her last kit, "Open your eyes! Maybe they are the same as your sister! Maybe they are a cool, water blue! Or perhaps a warm, apple amber? A fresh, leaf green?"

The kit squirmed around for a moment before smiling and squinting her eyes open. The queen eagerly waited until the little she-kit stared up into her mother's blue eyes, then, the she-cat froze.

Her expression changed from pride and love to disgust and revolt. She pushed the kit away sharply with her paw and spat, the kit squealing in shock as she rolled away.

"How horrid! Disgusting! Absolutely repulsive!" Her mate stepped away in shock and went to pick up his kit. Turning on his lover.

"What was that for? She's just a kit! Why are you being so rough on our daughter?" the queen hissed and bared her teeth at the child.

"Look! Look at that- that snake!" Her mate creased his brow in confusion and looked down at his child. Her little eyes were wide with terror as she pressed up against his brown pelt. Her fearful gaze glanced up at him and he looked into her eyes.

One of them a deep blue, the other a dark green.

"This is what you hurt her for? This? That's ridiculous!" The queen curled her tail around her remaining kits, who were eyeing their sibling curiously.

"Don't be a fool! Just look at her! It's wrong! She's absolutely ugly! She could never be accepted as a part of our family, she's shameful!" he glanced back and forth from his mate and kit.

"If you believe this, then you are crueler than I ever realized!" she narrowed her eyes.

"Only a _fool_ would think that she is enough of to be a part of our family. It would tarnish our reputation! What would the clan think? This little _creature_ would be the end of me!" he still didn't look convinced and the tom glared angrily at his mate, she then met back his stare, "If you _dare_ take care of that kit, you will no longer a part of our family."

He widened his eyes, "What?"

"You heard me," she mewed, "You can stay with me and help raise our," she brushed her tail over her kits, " _two_ kits. Or, you can leave me and take care of that horrid thing all by yourself."

He stared at his fearful daughter for a moment, his gaze dark.

"What will we do with her?" the queen was more than contented with his answer, she smiled with that oh so "cheerful" smile she had always masked on.

"Easy, we will give her to Crimsonthorn. She'll take care of her, and you can tell the clan that we found this kit outside of camp abandoned. The child won't be our problem anymore, I mean, it's not like she's every going to get a mate! She'll never be a part of this family," the tom stared at his mate, slight horror in his shaky gaze. How could this happen? But what would he do without her? This was his mate, his love, the closest cat to him. How could he ever leave her and his kits?

"F-fine," he finally huffed. _We can still be a family,_ he tried to convince himself, _this shouldn't change anything, right?_

"I'll go talk with Crimsonthorn and she'll leave this nest, we'll just teach our little son and daughter not to talk to _that_ kit anymore. It'll be easy," she purred at her two kits, pulling them closer to her side, "They are so perfect and darling! My little beauties will never be mistaken as family with that appalling creature! Our reputation will stay golden!"

With regret filled eyes, the tom nudged the little she-cat away from him, leaving her to shiver in a crouched ball on the ground. She gazed at her father with confusion and hurt, tears at the edges of her multicolored eyes.

The kit turned and looked at her mother.

"Ma, Mama?.." the queen turned and gave the young, sand colored kit an icy glare, "Mama…" tears dripped off the little she-kit's cheeks, "Mama I'm scared…"

"I, AM, NOT, YOUR, MOTHER," the queen snarled, and the kit squealed in terror, tumbling backwards.

"Mama?" the little brown tom-kit with leafy green eyes sat up, "What's wrong with Reedkit? Why is she upset? Is she alright Mama?" the queen looked at her little son with gentle fondness.

"Reedkit is not a part of our family anymore," she mewed, "She's deformed, and we can't have that now can't we?"

The light brown kit looked upset, "How? She doesn't look hurt-"

The little tom's other sister snorted, "If Mama says so then Reedkit is ugly! Mama is always right!"

The queen licked her she-kit on the head, "That's right," she purred, "I am always right. So no more Reedkit, okay?"

The two kits nodded, the tom a little more hesitantly with an unhappy look. Reedkit looked absolutely mortified, hot tears streaming down her light tan cheeks.

"Then it's settled," she growled, tucking her paws underneath her, "Go get Crimsonthorn, it's time to get rid of this scum."

Two kits roughhoused in the center of a sunny clearing, squealing and giggling with delight. Their mother lay nearby in the shade of a tree, grooming herself alone, the kit's father gone on leader duties.

One kit, a she-kit with clear, blue eyes and light brown, dappled fur, was leaping on top of brother, a light brown tom with fresh, green eyes, who giggled in surprise and delight.

"My darlings," their mother cooed, "You mustn't tear any fur, you have to look beautiful for your upcoming apprentice ceremony."

The she-kit trotted over, letting her mother groom her silky fur as her brother waited idly for her to return to play. The she-cat purred as her daughter stepped back with the sweet smile her mother had taught her. Her precious, her joy, and oh so beautiful she was. Her little daughter was her pride, how lovely a cat. Only one word to describe her, _perfect._

"My baby," she mewed, the little she-kit looking into her mother's eyes, "You know you are so much to me. The clan has no cat compared to you, even Starclan must be dazzled by your beauty! You must always hold yourself up to the highest standard, never let another of a lower level pull you down to them," she looked at her kit sternly, "The others do not know, the are imperfect, making them sinful. You are the embodiment of purity. My love, you are my star, and you are _perfect._ "

The two kits snuggled up to their mother after their play, the she-cat filling them with love and praise. A tiny shadow hid in the cover of reeds, her little paws shaking with sadness and envy. Her cheeks were wet, and she felt as though they would be permanently soaked from the flow of her tears. Why? Why couldn't she be like them? Why couldn't she be loved like them? Because she wasn't as pretty, she didn't have as silky fur, her tail was shorter, her mew wasn't as sweet, and oh. Oh yes. Her eyes.

Her blue and green gaze was narrowed with thick tears, her little lips pulled back in a crying snarl of anger as she curled into a tight ball.

One thing.

The thing that kept her from her family.

Her life of happiness.

Their love.

One thing she lacked.

 _Perfection._

The kit reopened her duel colored eyes, still red and bloodshot from her sobs. She felt a rage grow inside her, making her shake with a new emotion. Perfect, perfect perfect perfect. Oh, no more will she stand it. This unfairness, this discrimination, this insanity. This wasn't right. This wasn't fair, what did she ever do to deserve this?

Lying here, wallowing, this- this isn't how it's supposed to be. No more self-pity, if she wanted to be loved, to be respected, she had to make them. She had to prove to them she was an equal, or suffer like she now suffers. Suffering for her imperfection. Her singular, unusual, imperfection.

She snarled to herself. _Perfection._ That's what has brought her here. A stupid concept of complete fulfillment of everything "right" without a single mistake. The stupid concept that is completely, utterly, non-existent.

She suffers for this, feels this pain for this. For something she doesn't believe in, she is tortured by it. What sense does this world offer now? None that the poor kit can perceive as she shook in her pelt with frustration and hate. Feeling as though Starclan has forsaken her.

 _Perfection,_ she thought, _I'll make them pay for every perfection they have,_ she clenched the ground with her claws, _and every one I don't._


	25. 2: Chapter 1

**A dark path is ahead for Dawnpaw, will she make it?  
She has to survive the scorn of her clanmates and the grief of her foster-mother's departure.**

 **Read and find out...  
~Ebonyfire**

Chapter 1:

Dawnpaw stared blankly at the rain as it pattered down onto her den floor from an open tear in the roof. She felt numb, not even feeling the freezing waters soaking her pelt, not even caring. It was all she could do, not care, not care or she would remember. If she remembered then she would feel, and if she felt she would be in pain. Agony. Torturous sorrow that she will never be able to heal. For that is what she felt.

Her azure eyes glanced down at her paws and she could almost still feel the warm, thick blood seeping between her- no, she mustn't remember. She mustn't think, she mustn't feel. But as she listened to the mournful yowls of her clanmates, her breath grew fast and her throat tightened, feeling suffocated.

No, no.

But it was far too late as the memories of the night flooded her mind.

Everything was silent, so eerily quiet that you may question whether anything was alive. Guilt, fear, remorse, shame, so many horrible things were racing through Dawnpaw's blood stream, her heart ached with the emotions and it was painful every beat. She couldn't do anything, she just lay there, claws gripping to the sodden ground, thick, crimson blood sticking to her paw fur. Her breath was shaky, every inhale an effort as she shivered helplessly on the floor of the battle field.

The body of the she-cat before her was already more than deathly cold as the frigid rain soaked her to her stilled bones. The she-cat's jaw was parted in a silent wail, a small red trickle still leaking out. The winged apprentice's vision shook and the world quaked before her. She closed her eyes as she took raspy breathes in and out with a strong force. When Dawnpaw reopened them she looked to her paws, they still were soaked red, but now, in front of them was not a blue-grey Rainclan cat, but a limp Bluebird.

She stared wide eyed, focusing on the lifeless bird, movement blurred as cats panicked all around her, but she didn't hear a sound. Out of the corner of her vision she could spot familiar faces, yelling and screaming. About what? She didn't have time to think, but some, some were faced right at her, but as the world blurred she couldn't tell who was friend or foe.

 _But did you really know in the first place?_

She took her paws and covered her face, hunched over on the ground, pleading, begging, just to wake up.

Wake up.

Just wake up.

Please.

 _Please._

She shook on the soaked grass, the only sound her own cries in this ungodly silence. Some time had passed, how much? Dawnpaw didn't know, time seemed to lose meaning in this hell. She felt a paw softly touch her back and the feeling soon enfolded around her as she opened her eyes. It took a moment, but the white blur around her soon develop into her fellow apprentice wrapping herself around Dawnpaw. Fireflypaw was looking at the winged apprentice not with horror, but anxiety and concern. She was speaking, her jaws moving, but no words came in the unbroken silence. After a while she came to realize that Dawnpaw couldn't even respond, so the yellow eyed she-cat turned her head to crowd of cats yelling for some help, some support, any support at all.

Cats replied with only malice and rage, even Honeystar, or a blurred form that seemed to be the golden furred leader of Cloudclan. Dawnpaw shrank down, begging for the earth to open up and swallow her entirely when she felt another pelt press against her. It was unfamiliar, but warm, and she let the world focus once more slightly to see the face of Brookpaw, of all cats, pressed against her other side. He was hissing, not at her, but in her defense at their own clanmates and the cats of Rainclan. She stared at him in shock and he only glanced at her, was that, pity in his eyes? But she couldn't tell, for the shared look was cut short as he continued to growl at the surrounding cats.

The more she looked at him and Fireflypaw, the more the slight hum in the back of Dawnpaw's mind became louder, morphing into the pattering of rain, the yowls of cats, shaping into individual voices, and finally, words.

"Why are you all acting so afraid of her?! She's scared!" Fireflypaw's voice was almost drowned out by the clamor.

"If _any_ one of you dare lay a claw on this cat, I'll make sure you won't ever smell again!" Her brother's growl was right in Dawnpaw's ear and she shut her eyes, so very grateful to them, and Starclan, she wasn't alone. But a certain voice made all of the cats hush and the cream apprentice lifted her head, opening her eyes to look over and see a brown she-cat standing over another limp form nearby.

"ROSETAIL!" Tawnyrobin was shaking her sister with her paws, voice cracking with grief, "Rosetail wake up! Wake up! Please, you're the only family I have left! PLEASE!"

Cloudclan cats gathered around, heads bowed with grief when suddenly, Fireflypaw's face lit up with understanding.

"This wasn't in cold blood!" she cried out, standing, Dawnpaw pressed closer to her friend's brother now that the cat wasn't at her side, Brookpaw shifting uncomfortably.

"Don't you see?!" the cats had all eyes on her, "That cat was the closest thing she had to a mother! This Rainclan warrior must have been the one to murder her! Dawnpaw she-" the cat glanced down at the shivering apprentice, "-she only wanted to avenge her!"

Many cats looked at each other, wondering if this was true, when one spoke up.

"How can you prove that the noble Rainclan warrior Bluebird murdered this queen in cold blood?!" Numerous amounts of Rainclan cats meowed in agreement.

"I mean, just compare her to this scum! That thing isn't even a cat, it's a monster!"

"Bluebird would have never done such a thing!"

"How dare you!"

"Wait!" Brookpaw stood up, looking to the cats next to Dawnpaw's foster-mother's body, "Check her claws! We'll see if she had fought Bluebird if she has her fur in her claws!"

The clan cats were hesitant but when one reached for her claws another cat pushed through them to do it instead.

"Let me see this," Speckledove reached down and licked between Rosetail's claws until she pulled out a bunch of Blue-ish grey fur, cats around her gasped as they saw what they could in the dark.

"That could be anyone's fur!" a cat called out, "How do we know it isn't another cat's?"

Speckledove glanced at the antagonist with narrowed eyes, "Craneflight!" she called out, and a lanky white tom with black stripe down his back and black paws trotted over, they looked at each other and a sense of understanding was between them, "Smell this," and the Rainclan medicine cat did, he closed his eyes and lifted his head, "Is it her scent?"

Every cat was silent, waiting for his answer. He nodded his head and cats all around gasped. Some wailed in disbelief, some in grief, but then, a large, black tom with green eyes stepped out of the crowd. He turned and faced Honeystar and the tension between them was so strong it wouldn't have been more clear if a bolt of lightning had struck between them.

"Rushingstar," Honeystar's voice was strong and clear, "This conflict has been resolved, and I do think, this land is rightfully Cloudclan's still. Will we leave this," she glanced at Dawnpaw, "issue resolved?"

He was silent for a moment, "This _issue_ has become much larger than territory," he smiled, "And now we know something the other clans do not, do they?" Honeystar stiffened.

"Dawnpaw is not of any of your worry or care, leave this-"

"Dawnpaw? Well, this little apprentice of yours will be a safely kept secret in my clan," he smiled malevolently, "Not a worry or care to you."

They stood rigid for a moment before Honeystar growled something in a low voice and then raised her head high and yowling out to her clan.

"Cloudclan! Return to camp!"

Dawnpaw was gently risen to her paws by the kind nudges of Fireflypaw and she shakily followed her, pressing to her side for what little comfort and warmth that was offered in pouring rain as the clan picked up Rosetail's body, and returned home. In the distance, once the silhouettes of the enemy clan had faded away and they trotted through the moor as the storm raged on, the faint yowl off Rushingstar was heard as he called his clan to return home.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Dawnpaw was wrapped in a tense ball, screaming and crying while covering her face, claws slightly dug into her own skin creating red droplets of blood to form.

"NONONONONONONONONONO," the cream apprentice writhed on the wet floor, begging for it all not to be real, all the guilt, all of swallowing pain, engulfing her like a cold, dark river. She felt her own teeth, sinking into the neck of that Rainclan she-cat. She felt the warmth and life of that cat leak out, die out, from her own attack, the blood of Bluebird staining her paws a deep crimson.

"IT'S NOT TRUE IT'S NOT TRUE IT'S NOT TRUE!" She squirmed and gripped the floor as her body seized up and it looked as though she was in the middle a seizure in her panic attack. She gasped and gagged in her own sobs, screaming out, yowling at the top of her lungs until her voice cracked.

"Someone help! Somebody help! Dawnpaw, somethings awfully wrong with Dawnpaw!" the apprentice wasn't even aware of the other cat in her den, she couldn't think straight.

"Stay back! She's having a fit, I knew I should've brought her into my den!" another voice was there to and Dawnpaw tried to turn but with all of her hyperventilating she took in a short breath and

everything went black.


	26. 2: Chapter 2

**Here's a Speckledove chapter!  
I don't know the person who stated, "Ignorance is bliss", and don't always agree, but maybe this should be in play with poor Speckledove.**

 **When you're desperate, you'll believe anything.  
~Ebonyfire**

Chapter 2:

Speckledove rummaged hurriedly through the thick undergrowth around her. Would it be here? She didn't know, but it was worth trying, she didn't need another problem on her paws. For moons the prophecy had stumped her and finally, she realized maybe she was looking in the wrong direction the whole time.

The medicine cat had always assumed it had to revolve around that poor kit Dawnpaw, but after the battle, which was only a few sunrises ago, she had her doubts on how reliable the winged apprentice was. She was in the middle of a complete emotional and mental breakdown. To murder at such a young age, to lose family, it left some deep scars. For the last few days she had woken up from the poppy-seed induced sleep screaming and crying. It was terrifying for some, a couple of the elders theorized that a dark forest cat had possessed her when she killed Bluebird, and now it was torturing her mind. Of course that wasn't true, but, there still needed to be an end to it.

The grey she-cat was searching through the unknown woods, the most shaded woodland in all of their territory, in hopes of finding a numbing agent, not for wounds, but thoughts and emotions. The natural antidepressant was called "Roseroot", and now it was the only key to calming Dawnpaw's madness.

As she searched on she began to get lost in thought. Speckledove's first theories were unclear, but she began to think over and over about it. "The Leaf-bare of Darkness", as she called it, mentioned in the prophecy was a storm of "dark hearts". Dark hearts? Possibly the cruel and evil, cats with hearts of shadow. But what about Dawnpaw? Surely after the display of color at her birth must have meant she was intertwined somehow?

Speckledove muttered few things under her breath, moving to a different patch of undergrowth. Maybe, just maybe, she shouldn't be focusing it all on Dawnpaw. Could it be that this "light" was only connected to Dawnpaw? She got up and walked towards the river, faintly babbling in the distance, there was no use to keep looking now, it was getting dark anyway.

The grey dappled medicine cat came to a halt, was that? No, it had to have been. Those were a cat's pawsteps, someone was here.

"Who's there?!" she yowled out into the shadowy forest, and the hurried sound of pawsteps was faintly heard. Immediately she raced after the cat, it might be a Rainclan spy! The dark woods soon slowed her, rarely ever being here before was one cause other than the falling darkness as twilight approached. She was determined though, and she swerved around a tree, ready to catch this intruder, but suddenly, as she burst forward, her paw became painfully entangled in some brambles and she fell onto her belly, her paw sliding out with a chunk of fur staying behind.

"Argh?!" she spat as she realized the chase was over, the excitement fading as she assumed the enemy was getting away. Speckledove licked her injured paw and tried to apply pressure onto it as she set it to the forest floor. She flinched, this was definitely going to swell up if she didn't get back quick.

She looked side to side for any herb she could use to wrap this when something caught her eye. She gaped for a moment before closing her mouth and shutting her eyes, giving a silent prayer to Starclan. It must have been Starclan, and she forgot all about the mysterious cat, for before her was a large patch of Roseroot.

She scooted over, trying not to apply any pressure to her right back paw, and reached out her foreleg to reach over to the plant. Suddenly, as she touched a single leaf, Speckledove had unwillingly awoken a large group of fireflies. She swallowed a gasp as they burst out of nowhere, lighting up all around her, raising up in the dark until disappearing in the leaves of the trees. The medicine cat sat still, dumbstruck. She collected herself and realized what it meant.

Tadpolekit sat impatiently at the foot of the leader's den, his stumpy tail twitching with worry. The tiny kit's leaf green eyes were stressed, Speckledove shouldn't be out for so long! And the unknown woods. _And_ right after the battle! But it was her duty to go and risk everything in order to serve her clan by keeping them healthy, yet it still worried little Tadpole.

Suddenly, the medicine cat arrived through the fronds of fern covering the entrance. She looked bright and… hopeful? Tadpolekit rushed over to greet her, and to his own joy he spotted the plant that Dawnpaw needed in her jaws.

"This is great!" the little black tom mewed as he pranced over to her, she looked distracted and had a heavy limp.

"Oh, what's that?" she glanced down at him, was she tired? Maybe she needed rest, she usually was all ears when he had something to say.

"It's great that you have the Roseroot," he repeated and she paused before nodding.

"Oh yeah, the Roseroot," she replied half-heartedly, she seemed happy, but why? If it wasn't the Roseroot, then… was she in love? Of course not! She was a loyal medicine cat, something else must be on her mind.

"Well, I ought to see your foster-sister now, see you later," she continued to limp to her den, and Tadpolekit began to get lost in thought once more, was she really?...

Speckledove padded on, being careful not to apply to much pressure to her right rear paw. Suddenly, a certain voice interrupted her thoughts, a voice she had been hoping to hear. She turned, over to left of the elders' den was the young cat this must all revolve around, speaking and laughing with her brother. As the she-cat spotted the medicine cat, she got up and gave a short 'be right back' before rushing over.

"How's Dawnpaw? Can I see her? Is that the plant you were looking for?" Fireflypaw seemed to ask all these questions at once, without a pause for breath. Speckledove was silent for a moment.

"Of course, this right here is the Roseroot. I don't exactly know the exact measurements for dosage, but I'm sure Dawnpaw will be fine in a matter of time. You can't see her right now, but, well, maybe we could meet some time? I could talk to about," she bit her tongue as she thought, "what kind of support you could use to help Dawnpaw?"

"Of course!" Fireflypaw sounded more than relieved, "When should we meet?"

"Oh, anytime that works with you, I'm fine."

"Thank you, I'm sure your busy though, so I'll leave," they said their short farewells and Fireflypaw left to go rejoin her brother, who wasn't all that happy to talk about Dawnpaw.

Speckledove knew what it meant now, the one cat who showed kindness when everyone hearts were dark towards Dawnpaw, it must be her. She must be the one to save the clans! She has the light of a thousand fireflies to fight the dark!

The medicine cat smiled with anticipation and entered her den to deal with the shambled apprentice.


	27. 2: Chapter 3

**I wrote this today, or to all those in the future the day it was posted.  
This is a... whaaa?  
Not a Speckledove chapter, no... But a Driftingpaw?  
Now who in the world is she? Or should I say- who in the _Clans_?**

 **Let's find out~**

 **~Ebonyfire**

Chapter 3:

Driftingpaw glanced around into the haze blanketed land of grey, blue eyes clouded in thought. The cold air seeped into her thin ash fur, her dappled pelt dampening in the wet morning air. All around her was cloudy mist, light, monotone clouds drifting as the sun began to rise over the stones, for most of the territory was stones. Driftingpaw blinked and opened her jaws, trying to catch a scent, but all was drowned out in the moist fog.

"Driftingpaw?" a sudden voice made her jump, she turned around to see a figure forming out of the clouds to reveal a dark brown tom padding towards her.

"Oh it's just you Twigfur," she sighed, "I was just out for a hunt and to collect my thoughts."

"Quite early for a hunt, can't catch much of a scent this time of day. You're better off going to the river," Driftingpaw gave a slight nod but her eyes were once again heavy, "What's on your mind?" Twigfur inquired with a tilt of his head.

"It's just… you know that cat everyone is talking about? You know, the one that killed Bluebird?"

She could see his fur on the back of his neck rise a bit, "I see," he mumbled, Twigfur swept his tail over for her to come closer, "Well… I wasn't able to get more than a glimpse," he began, "But to me it didn't look so much like a monster as it did just a kit, smaller than you I suppose but not too young," his gaze was filled with memory, "Maybe… a light brown pelt? She was wet from the storm so maybe not."

"She?" Driftingpaw widened her eyes.

He nodded, "She apparently attacked Bluebird out of rage for Bluebird mistakenly killing her mother is what I was told. When she was leaving she looked harmless, shocking yes, but harmless for an apprentice. Wee thing, but on her back," he made a motion with his paws, " _big_ old wings."

"It was announced Bluebird killed her mother but… I never believed it. Are you _sure_ that a cat had _wings_? And how would she kill her if she could have easily been overtaken? Wouldn't have Bluebird just defended?" Driftingpaw looked unconvinced.

"Slow down," Twigfur chuckled, "Well I don't know much, but I think that the reason she did not defend is… shock I suppose. Who wouldn't be? Little one struck out and latched on and then," he swished his tail, "it was too late," he gave a sigh, awoken grief throbbing in his chest, even after a week the loss was still strong.

"Thank you," Driftingpaw dipped her head, "I'll be out to the river."

Twigfur gave a nod and headed into the fog, it wasn't long before his pelt melted into the mist and he disappeared completely. The apprentice turned and padded quickly, stopping herself from breaking into a run. The morning mist wasn't unsettling, quite calming actually, but she shan't run with such limited vision, a rule commonly stated to apprentices for the frequent weather in their Clan.

Her ears perked as she heard the sloshing murmur of a river, as she approached the sound became much louder, like growling, with the racing currents. She stood at the edge on a pile of stones over the water, Driftingpaw realized that she probably should go down stream where the river widened out and became more shallow and slow, but as the she-cat stared at the frothing water, white foam dancing in the churning black depths, it became almost hypnotic. Her mind wandered back to the winged cat.

 _Dawnpaw,_ she remembered the name her clanmates repeated, _Dawnpaw._ Driftingpaw crouched over the edge and stared into the swallowing waters, it reminded her of the same waters she had fell into as a kit. Snuck out of camp, went exploring, and ultimately got lost in the fog, falling into a river. Luckily it was shallow, and she had latched onto a floating branch and was found before she met rapids or a waterfall, but from that day forward they changed her name from _Dew_ to _Drifting._ She half resented the river, half loved it, for the whole experience was scary but such an adventure.

 _I wonder,_ her mind floated about as shifted her weight on her paws, one hanging over the bubbling river, motionless, _what Dawnpaw is like? I- I would have done the same._ She hesitated at this thought, but ultimately didn't disagree with it. Only shortly after her apprenticeship, which had been postponed due to her little "outing", her mother had been killed in a border skirmish. Her mother's death _had_ prolonged the battle, Honeystar becoming more loose with the prey stealing in guilt for letting a cat die like that, but in the end the battle did come and her death was in vain.

 _I understand sticking out, being different, especially after my name was changed. I would kill to have my mother back. But to have wings? I can't even decide if that is a blessing or a curse… You would forever be looked at differently, but to fly…_ She was suddenly jerked out of her thinking as a large silver streak appeared under her. Quick as a flash, Driftingpaw shot her paw into the freezing waters, hooking onto the flailing fish. Yanking it onto the stones, she ended with a neat bite, snapping its spine and giving thanks to Starclan. Driftingpaw gazed proudly at her large haul and picked up the plump catch in her jaws before beginning to run back to camp, the fog lifting enough to see farther ahead of yourself and she already knew she wouldn't meet another river before she met camp.

Driftingpaw saw the tall stone boulders that marked the edge of their living space. A tight entrance was guarded by a figure stooped upon the tallest stone, gazing over the land.

"Who goes there?" the figure called out above the mist as it spotted the incoming apprentice.

"If's jusf ee, Febbfefah," the grey she-cat's mew was muffled by her prey, she soon was close enough so that the watch guard could make her out.

"Pebblefall got off shift forever ago, Driftingpaw. It's me, Puddlesplash," the cat atop the rock was a grey brown tom with a white chest and a face that was half grey, "How could you mistake my voice for Pebblefall's? I'm hurt- really," he put a paw to his chest dramatically and closed his eyes. He peeked an eye open to see the apprentice roll her's.

"Sowwey," she murmured, they looked at each other in amusement before she galloped inside.

The camp was completely made of stone, smoothed by years of rain and rivers. It was nestled in the corner of their territory, the towering stone walls making up the back of the camp, fallen boulders walling the camp in. It was full of cats with dark colored pelts, murmuring and chattering as everyone began to awaken. The dens were caves in the rock walls, some caves too small to even sleep in that were used for storage. All of the entrances had been carved into circular shapes from weathering and the dens were sheltered from storms. From a path up the camp wall were two small waterfalls streaming down that were draped side by side to the leader's den and the Clan-Ledge that partially stuck out above camp. The waters had carved a dip that was filled with pebbles at the bottom of the clear streams, they met together in a wide pool in the center of camp, smooth river-rocks collected at the shallow bottom, the pool not spilling over since the water seeped through stones and earth to go into the aquifer.

Driftingpaw glanced around as her Clanmates began their day, her blue gaze searching for a particular tom. She walked over and leapt onto a ledge and then onto another until she was on the base of the Clan-Ledge which stretched out over the camp. A fine spray of mist collected droplets on her fur as she stood next to the two falling streams of water that bordered the dark hole of the leader's den. With a long breath though her pink nose, she stepped inside.

Darkness swallowed the grey apprentice and she blinked her eyes a few times as they accommodated to the dimness. The den's smooth grey walls were covered in the claw marks of countless leaders, a clan tradition. She gazed at them in awe but took notice that the leader's nest was empty, but his scent still partially fresh. She dropped the fish and licked her chops before picking it up again and following the scent through the thick smell of her prey.

Once again outside, she found it coming to a sudden halt. Driftingpaw looked around in confusion before noticing that the scent _did_ continue, but up the steep slope that lead to the top of the waterfalls. She made sure not a soul was looking and bunched her muscles before making tremendous leap. Driftingpaw struggled to grip the smooth stone as she scrambled up but hauled herself up the wall after a few seconds of panic. Cats below took notice and some of their attentions were directed towards her as they heard the clattering of pebbles that fell down the slope. She looked down upon the camp standing on a slight levelled spot where a stream pouring out of a crack in the wall that then split into two waterfalls. She was amazed at how high she had gotten. Driftingpaw thought she was tall on the ledge, but now the cats below were blurred shapes, the drop so high that a cat would-

A pit formed in the young she-cat's stomach and she gulped.

She turned around on the small ledge and saw that the path was gone, the scent ending but nowhere left to go. She realized that the tunnel that the water tumbled out of was tall enough for a large cat to slip through, and after some hesitation, she stepped into the darkness.

The current pulled at Driftingpaw's legs threatening to topple her over, the water an icy chill that made her paws instantly go numb. She tugged her leg forward, taking large steps up the tunnel as she suddenly felt suffocated by the closing walls. She picked up pace and felt the knot in her throat dissipate as she spotted the end of the tunnel and splashed out of the exit.

Driftingpaw squinted her eyes as she was blinded by light, as soon as she could see where she was, her jaw would have dropped if she hadn't been holding her fish. The clearing was an area half the size of camp, waterfalls poured down the walls that stretched up to the heavens almost on every side. In the center was an island of stone, in the middle of it the figure of her leader laying with his back turned to her.

The grey apprentice waded through the clear water, her splashing drowned out by the falling cascades of water that filled the area with their misty spray. Driftingpaw felt the pebbles under her paws turn into a stone ground incline and she walked onto the island, flicking droplets off her frozen paws and setting the fish down.

"R-Rushingstar," she mewed loudly over the growl of the falls through chattering teeth. He turned around, half expecting Craneflight, and then his green gaze widened in shock.

"Driftingpaw?" he sat up, his muscles rippling under his sleek black pelt, "What are you doing here? This place is sacred for leaders and their medicine cats."

"W-what?" _of course I would wander into a sacred place,_ "Goodness! I, um- uh. Should… go, huh?" the young she-cat's pelt burned with embarrassment and she swiveled around on her numb paws to leave.

"Wait," Rushingstar meowed after a moment, looking down at the fish, "You don't need to leave now, I think I can make an exception for family."

Driftingpaw couldn't help but sigh, she turned around and picked up the fish before giving it to her leader. They weren't the closest, especially after her mother's death, but she was related to him, her mother was his niece.

They ate the fish in silence before he stared at the waterfall, sadness flowing in his dark green eyes, eyes that were so similar to her mother's.

"I, I didn't know Bluebird that well," Driftingpaw broke the silence and he directed his attention towards her, "She was my -um- sort of aunt? I know she was your g-granddaughter so something like that," she shuffled her paws, "She was always kind and fun, she apprenticed with me but we were different ages so we always trained apart. I'm sad she's gone though."

He looked thankfully at her as she tried to console him, even if not very well, "You see," he looked back at the falls, "She isn't really related to you or I, I had adopted her after her parents died, but she was always too easy to get into a fight," his gaze looked dark, "I should have done better."

"No, I'm sure it isn't your fault, everyone says it was Dawnpaw's!"

"Yes… Dawnpaw," now he looked away so she could not see his expression, "Starclan has blessed us with this opportunity."

Suddenly a different kind of knot formed in Driftingpaw, a knot of dread. _Oh good Starclan,_ she fretted, _did I just insight a battle? On an apprentice?_

He stood up and looked down at the she-cat, his mind filled with thoughts and questions, "Driftingpaw," he mewed, "You are my last heir. My brother is gone, and your mother, my niece, is too. My daughter…" he held an unreadable emotion, "She left for Starclan long ago, and now my adopted granddaughter has died. All I have left is you, Driftingpaw," Rushingstar's intense look bore into the apprentice, "You alone."

She swallowed, trying to relieve the pressure in her chest, but to no avail. Driftingpaw stifled a sigh as he turned his intensity towards Starclan and the grey sky.

"You have a great future ahead of you, my kin. A future that our ancestors will be in awe of," she flinched at his powerful words, "For now we must be vigilant, be readied for blood. Because, young 'paw, this," he narrowed his eyes, filled with anticipation, "means **_war_** _._ "


	28. 2: Chapter 4

**I figured, when you are grieving and you have no one, sometimes it is yourself that pulls you out of it. You just need a reminder.  
This is a heavy chapter for one, and it is laced with truth.**

 **Maybe you know what I mean.**

 **~Ebonyfire**

Chapter 4:

The darkness was choking, wrapping around Dawnpaw's neck like a noose, cloaking her in shadows. She sucked in, trying to breath, but air seemed no were in this colorless hell. She began to panic, thrashing her limbs, Dawnpaw couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed. This must be her punishment.

"Is someone there?…" Dawnpaw stretched her unseeing eyes wide at the foreign voice, frozen. Was that?...

"Rosetail! Rosetail It's me! I'm here! Rosetail where are you?!" Dawnpaw cried out into the darkness, why was she here? This place wasn't for her!

"Is someone there? Anyone there? Of course not…" Dawnpaw struggled even more, tears floating off her eyes in the gravitiless realm.

"Please!" she sobbed, "Rosetail I'm here! You have to listen to me! Please!..." Dawnpaw sobbed out in stillness, " _Pleeaaaassee_ …"she couldn't control herself as she wailed, curling into a ball.

"It's all my fault you're here!..." Dawnpaw whimpered, "I'm so so so sorry…. I'm so sorry…. I'm sorry…."

"Dawnpaw…"

"I'm sorry…"

"Dawnpaw."

"Please forgive me…"

"Dawnpaw!"

"Wha-?!" she shot upwards shaking her head back and forth as she searched the area for her foster-mother. To her disappointment, in front of the winged apprentice was instead Fawnkit, her eyes filled with excitement.

"Oh thank Starclan your awake!" The light brown, white dappled she-kit danced around her big sister, "I have to hurry! You can't ever talk when you take your medicine!"

Fawnkit was right, whenever Dawnpaw took her anti-depressant herb she wasn't just cured of her sadness, it was like swimming through a fog. Everything was numb, her body, her thoughts, her feelings. It was as if the herb treated like if your living was too much to handle, then not handling anything was the best result. In that state she couldn't eat right, speak right, or even make dirt correctly. She definitely couldn't set one paw in front of another correctly either.

"What do you want Fawnkit?" Dawnpaw mumbled, right now, she would rather be sleeping, -but on second thought- after that dream, maybe being awake couldn't cause that much harm.

"You need to help us train!" she mewed, a little quieter this time since she noticed Dawnpaw flinch, "We will be apprentices soon after all!"

Dawnpaw's eyes widened, "Already?" she was taken a little bit aback.

"Well, uh, yeah! We were born when you were around four moons old, and um, your almost two moons into your apprenticeship!"

Dawnpaw tried to smile but something caught in her throat, two moons? Had it really been that long since she became an apprentice? She tried to recollect exactly the layout of events in her head but a haze covered the way and she instead took and shaky breath in and looked at her little sister.

"Sure, I'll he-" but before she could finish Fawnkit had already squealed with delight, hopping up and down.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she purred and Dawnpaw couldn't hold back a small purr herself. Cheer from the kit seemed to be contagious.

"Follow me, okay?" the brown kit jumped up and crawled up the steep walkway out of the medicine cat den. Dawnpaw shakily got up and took a deep breath before following, she hadn't left the den in about a week.

"Wait up!" she coughed, emerging out of the dank darkness. She shielded her azure eyes with her tail as the bright sun bleached her vision white. As she opened her eyes, she let her gaze adjust to the day and took in the world around.

Around her cats padded to and fro, mouths carrying prey or just talking with smiles. It was so… normal. Just a regular day in the Clan, the only ones that seemed any sort of gloomy was Tawnyrobin and a few other cats, but they even kept on with their duties as they dealt with their grief. How? How could they just move on?

Memories flashed into Dawnpaw's mind.

 _They had just returned to camp, the storm had turned to a light rain and darkness was all around. Cats huddled up, hungry for the news of the battle, and Honeystar informed them of their victory and cats were cheerful. Until-_

 _"But," Honeystar's worry was apparent, "We have brought grave news."_

 _She leapt onto the Clan-Branch and every cat gathered but Dawnpaw, who sat and watched farther away, head low in shock, grief, and shame. She told the cats of the winged apprentice coming to the battle, and killing a Rainclan cat. The crowd gasped, cursing her name, some in denial, others demanding that she be thrown out now that her "true colors" have been revealed. Fireflypaw swore up and down that she didn't mean to kill her, and that she is suffering from this, but the cats retorted in malice that now Rainclan, one of their current, largest enemies, knew about the Starclan forsaken child. Honeystar's angry gaze then was swallowed in grief._

 _"She didn't just do it for no reason though, to my understanding, I'm afraid we lost a brave warrior and queen in battle," every cat turned and looked around, and Tawnyrobin let out a long, low, cry. Brackenheart raced over to her, demanding where Rosetail was, each time he repeated the question his yowl became louder until the point where tears edged his amber-gold eyes and his voice broke._

 _After some struggle getting her body over the stepping stones, the rest of the patrol returned, dragging her in. Her form was limp and growing stiff, her eyes closed eternally._

 _Brackenheart stared in disbelief, rushing over. He let out a loud, drawn out, mournful yowl as he looked upon his mate brokenheartedly. Brackenheart's voice cracked with grief as he felt his chest torn open. His sobs echoed throughout, stabbing sharply into Dawnpaw's heart, haunting her._

 _"What, what about the kits?" the question belonged to Littleleap, who's expression was of despair and thick grief, "How could they take her death? They're so young…" his voice turned into a low wail._

 _Brackenheart didn't look away from her body, barely able to force out words as he crouched over Rosetail next to Tawnyrobin, "No," he choked out, "They can't- they can't know she's-" he shook his head, swallowing sobs, "No one can tell them, not until they're ready- not until they are o-older. Don't let them out of the nursery until she's b-" it hurt to look at his sorrowful expression, his heart shattered, "buried," with that he shoved his muzzle into her neck fur, her sweet scent fading quickly._

 _Though the land was dark and wet, three cats followed Speckledove out of camp, returning much later with several loads of flowers. They surrounded Rosetail's body with the flora, wild roses primarily. The medicine cat cleaned her wound and placed the flowers over it, and when she was finished, the closed buds forcefully opened and petals scattered over her corpse, the scent of death was masked and Dawnpaw stared upon her mother's body, looking only as though she was asleep. After the body was treated and the tradition fulfilled, cats came and paid their respects, Tawnyrobin and Brackenheart being the only ones to stay the entire night, though a certain cat found it hard to tear away from her body._

 _Wounds were dressed, and cats headed to their nests, but as others rested Dawnpaw received nothing in her exhaustion but the first of a long line of nightmares._

Dawnpaw blinked the images away, trying to flush out the sound of Brackenheart's mourning. The young kits knew nothing yet, only told that Rosetail wouldn't be here for a while, and even though they didn't know when she would be back, they didn't let it get them down.

"Come on!" Fawnkit chirped and Dawnpaw warily trotted across the log-bridge and through main camp, trying not to gather attention. But even without making a sound, heads turned and she flattened her ears to her head, ducking down, trying to avoid their gazes and murmurs. She galloped quickly through the fern tunnel and met Fawnkit at the edge of the island.

"Wait- what, what are we doing here?" she questioned the younger kit, and Fawnkit averted her eyes to the floor.

"Well, I, um, was hoping, we could, well-" Dawnpaw sighed.

"What?"

"Just possibly maybe train with me and Turtlekit out in a little hollow we found right out in the forest bordering the river?" she yammered speedily, Dawnpaw made a shocked look.

"How did both of you even cross the river rocks?" Fawnkit shook her head, guilt plaguing her expression.

"Well, ' _we'_ isn't exactly the right thing to say… I had maybe tried to, erm, escape camp with my brother but chickened out and he actually crossed and got… stuck. So he went to find a warrior and found the "training hollow" near the river edge. He's been waiting for me and I need you to help us! -I mean- Train us!"

Dawnpaw furrowed her brow, this was a conundrum, but- Suddenly a form returning to camp, mouth filled with Roseroot, caught her attention. She widened her eyes with panic, she couldn't sort this out while fogged up on her meds! She would come back later, for now, she had other issues.

"H-hey! What are you-!?" Dawnpaw scooped up her foster sister in her jaws and leapt over to the other rocks, crossing as fast as her uncoordinated legs would carry her. Once she felt her paws hit the soft sand of the bank she knelt down and dove into the nearest bushes, gasping for breath. Usually this wouldn't phase her but she was, well, a _bit_ out of shape at the moment.

"What-gasp-was that for?" Fawnkit panted from the impact, but before she could mew another word Dawnpaw placed her paw over her foster-sister's muzzle. So they laid silently for a moment before the muffled sound of pawsteps approached, and left.

"Whew, that was really close," Dawnpaw sighed, and Fawnkit rolled away from her clutch.

"Who were we avoiding?" she inquired, getting back up, Dawnpaw hid her face by looking away.

"I-It was Speckledove returning from getting my Roseroot," she stood up and shook out her pelt, "I just don't w-want you to get in trouble that's all."

Fawnkit tilted her head, but held her tongue, trying to avoid upsetting her sister with questions.

"Okay," she mewed after a hesitant breath, "Follow me, he said it was this way."

"Turtlekit?" Fawnkit mewed as they arrived to where she hoped was the place her brother had spoken of.

A small, dark brown tom-kit sat in the center of a patch of sand and moss, once he had heard their voices he sped around, a shining grin spreading across his face.

"Fawnkit!" he chirped, playfully bombarding his sister, she mewed happily and tussled with him.  
"Dawnpaw! You're really here! This is so great!" he leapt off his sister and onto Dawnpaw, she grunted in surprise of how heavy and big he was getting and soon the group of siblings, whether blood or not, had begun to wrestle about. Dawnpaw laughed and play growled, lunging forward to try and subdue Turtlekit. Fawnkit screeched a battle cry and the two ganged up on the apprentice until she had been pinned underneath the kits, jokingly begging for mercy.

"See? We need training so we can become even _more_ powerful!" Turtlekit held his head up with pride, his expression was of happiness, but as he got down it melted away and he turned his head.

Dawnpaw looked at him, but as she glanced over, out of the corner of her vision she spotted something looking out at them. Her pelt stood on end and she shot up to the direction she saw it.

 _Rosetail?_ A lump formed in her throat, and she scanned along the border of trees with a panicked gaze, _where are you?_

It wasn't just the nightmares that had forced her into the depression, whenever off the medicine she would swear she'd see Rosetail, just out of her field of vision. More nightmares stemmed off of this strange phenomena, causing Dawnpaw to begin to form an irrational fear that her adopted mother may be haunting her from Starclan in vengeance.

"Dawnpaw?" Fawnkit looked at her sister worriedly, "Is someone out there? Did you see something?"

The apprentice choked down the answer ' _yes'_ and instead shook her head, gazing out into the forest. Turtlekit then looked gravely at her, the intensity in his sad eyes shocking.

"Why… is everyone acting so weird lately?" he mewed quietly, "Is it because… Mama has gone out of the Clan for a while?" Dawnpaw stared at him in shock, words not seeming to come out, but then a question formed in her mind.

"You two," she began, "Why did you _really_ leave camp?" the apprentice knew she didn't need them to say it out loud.

"We want to find Mom… She left for battle and now she's gone? I- we thought she would come back in a few days but…" tears welled at the edge of Fawnkit's eyes, "I miss her!" she sobbed, "I want her to come home!" the she-kit wiped her face with a little white paw, Turtlekit looked just as distraught, his green eyes watery.

"Come here," the cream she-cat pulled her siblings closer with her tail, though young, they weren't that much smaller than she.

Dawnpaw's heart ached with grief, she felt her body begin to shake, "Rosetail-" she felt as though she was choking, "Rosetail…" the kits looked up at her with anxiety in their wide eyes.

"Rosetail isn't coming home."

The words hurt as they came out, Dawnpaw almost stuttered. The two kits' expressions reshaped into panic and sadness, confusion and grief.

"She was hit in the throat in battle," Dawnpaw couldn't hold back her tears, she soon fell into sobbing, "She's dead," the apprentice's voice turned into a low, weeping wail.

"What do you mean?" the kits were crying, confused and scared, "She can't be gone forever! No! I don't believe you!"

Dawnpaw opened her eyes, tears flowing down her cheeks, she shook her head at the kits and they began to cry, pressing their faces into her fur. She closed her eyes, silently sobbing as the kits wailed, even if they were young, instinct told them that death is something that no one comes back from, and when they were older they would understand.

The family curled into a ball, the two weeping into Dawnpaw's pelt and she gently wrapped a wing over them, tucking her nose next to them with her own tears melting down her face. After a few minutes the sobs turned to sniffles and everyone's eyes were puffy and wet, cheek fur soaked. Dawnpaw curled protectively around her siblings, groping for some words, any, to comfort them.

"Life," she began hesitantly, "is like a river, and along the way many get… stuck. Caught in the branches and we have to leave them behind," the children's eyes were closed, but their ears were perked as they listened silently, "All you have to do…" Dawnpaw continued, "is keep on swimming. The current doesn't stop for you, and the best you can do… is keep your head above the water. And for all those left behind… keep them in your heart and just try to keep going, try not to sink," Dawnpaw looked above, the sky peeking through the branches of the trees, "All who we love go to Starclan right?" she seemed to even be asking her own self this, "And so one day, far down the river, we'll get caught, and join everyone we've lost. But until then, we just have to keep going… we just have too…"

The two kits opened their eyes and nodded sadly, their little hearts burning in despair, but her words made the pain dull a little bit. She cleaned away their tears and her own, letting them all get up as they made their way back to camp. Dawnpaw took a second to realize that in all the times she cried, never before had she felt _relief,_ like a stone being lifted out of her chest, before.

She helped them cross the river and they each silently slipped into camp, the older sister herding them to the nursery. Tadpolekit stumbled after them asking what was wrong, and as Dawnpaw glanced at the other kits they nodded at her, and she knew they would tell him. With that, the winged apprentice made her way back to the medicine cat den- but stopped.

She looked out over the river behind the tree, and beyond it she swore she saw a figure, pelt dappled in stars, expression a soft smile. Dawnpaw blinked and it disappeared, only thing left were dandelion puffs floating in the breeze. A warmth filled her chest and she realized that she had to keep going, keep her head above the water's surface. That was the only thing to do, she couldn't wallow forever, and Rosetail, she would want that.

Dawnpaw turned her back to the medicine cat den, Speckledove surely inside with her treatment, but she wouldn't take it. She couldn't anymore. She needed adventure, something to make life worth it, to give her something to do other than grieve. That feeling- the same feeling from before- the one that makes your heart flutter in a tinkle of excitement and mischief, a feeling of a _plan_ forming.

Dawnpaw then exited, camp, leaping across the stones and breaking out into a run.

Oh yes. A plan indeed. _I'm tired of boarders, limits, and being alone,_ she whipped down the trail, determination bright in her eyes, _tired of being locked away and subdued. I know what to do._

So the apprentice ran, a plan in her mind, a plan _very_ against the rules. And she loved it

as she ran straight to the Shadeclan border.


	29. 2: Chapter 5

**Hey everyone!  
I've noticed I haven't gotten many reviews for my updates. I guess it's strange to have a book finished in 3 months suddenly take half a year.  
I must apologize for the slowness, and recently I've been rather eager to make some official _villains._  
Perhaps I'll pick up pace?  
I don't know, with finals rolling around...  
We'll see.  
 _Please Rate & Review!_  
~Ebonyfire**

Chapter 5:

Hollypaw took a deep breath, letting it exhale slowly before giving her ear a scratch with a hind paw.

 _Another day, another training session,_ she thought, disgruntled. Although she was only five moons into her apprenticeship, becoming an apprentice well before Dawnpaw, she felt as though it was way past time to become a warrior.

 _"Just because you may almost be 6 moons into your apprenticeship doesn't makes you an instant warrior,"_ Hollypaw recalled her mentor's words with bitter resentment.

With a yawn, the dark colored tabby stood upwards, exiting from the apprentice den underneath a large fallen pine, thick trunk covered in mushrooms. Light soon invaded her vision and she blinked to look at the shadowed camp of her home Clan.

Around her was a clearing in the center of a pine forest. Pines made up most of Shadeclan's territory, other than the marshes that were created by the rivers, and unfortunately, pines are very shallow rooted and tended to fall during wet seasons when the marsh spread. With territory like this, prey was harder to find than in other lands. But there was line that wasn't ever crossed with Shadeclan, though they may share similarities with the unknown Shadowclan, they were never very similar. Shadowclan was known for being mysterious and threatening, with their lack of prey they feared looking weak, so over time they made themselves outwardly seemed like violent beasts- like a monster out of a kit-tale. Shadeclan was named after the shaded forests that protect them, the dark pelted cats turning into shadows in the darkness. They used this ability for protection and defense more than offense. With so little prey and so many cats they withdrew from the other Clans, these cats observed from the shadows, avoiding conflict. To the other Clans, free willed Cloudclanners, bold Meadowclanners, proud Rainclanners, these cats of Shadeclan didn't seem peaceful as they did mysterious- and that is what they were. In their borders their business was theirs, though mostly hunting, it never made the other clans any less suspicious. But just because they didn't put up a tough front doesn't mean that every cat in the Clan agreed with passivity.

Like a certain little tabby she-cat with an attitude.

"Ugh," Hollypaw groaned as she saw her Clanmates lazing about while they enjoyed the nice prey haul just brought in.

She padded up the rock pile where their Clan meetings were called. Lying under the shadow of the pile was a figure, lazily sprawled as they tried to settle into a nap.

"Is there anything to _do_ today?" she plopped down beside the cat, who looked at her with wide, brown eyes.

"What do you mean? There's always something to do around here, be grateful we have a moment," he yawned loudly, "to take a break."

"Sure," she grumbled, "But Talonclaw, doesn't anything _interesting_ happen? This is boring- just sitting here."

The grey-brown tom gave a roll of his eyes, "Well then," he began, "As your deputy, I order you to go make some use of yourself and hunt."

" _What?_ " Hollypaw coughed, "You have to be joking- our fresh kill pile is _full_."

"Nope," Talonclaw gave a lick of his scar down his back, "It won't be full forever, and it'll be good for you to have a nice long hunt away from all this _boringness_."

The apprentice made many sounds of disagreement before growling and getting up to walk out of camp. While crossing the clearing a fiery orange she-cat prowled past, oblivious to the approaching apprentice.

"Woah," Hollypaw sighed, "Watch where you're putting your paws Firefox."

The amber she-cat looked up at the apprentice and made a nervous laugh.

"I apologize; it's just I have something on my mind."

"What's that?"

"Well…" she trailed off as she glanced at the warriors' den, "Your mother hasn't been very energetic, frankly, as time passes she seems more and more down in the dumps. I'm afraid she may be depressed."

A chill froze Hollypaw's spine and she felt a knot of worry pit in her stomach.

"I- I've noticed," she paused, "I'm going out to hunt, tell Magpiefeather that I'll bring her back something, okay?"

Firefox nodded, "She'd like that."

With a bit more haste and now a purpose, young Hollypaw ventured out of camp and into the shadowed darkness of the woods of her Clan.

 _I think I'll head to the Fang-Rock,_ she contemplated after a few minutes' travel, and so she veered left, towards the gigantic walls of the valley. Soon she could spot the towering spire over the treetops and quickened her pace.

Her paws thumped quietly as she approached the open clearing where a large, jagged rock sharply pointed into the sky, thin and tall like a giant fang coming out the earth. Suddenly, Hollypaw's ears perked as she heard soft thudding sounds coming from the clearing. She crouched down, crawling forward, eyes sharp and claws primed and ready.

Light enveloped around her as she left the safety of the shadowed pines. With a shudder, the holly bushes she had been passing through rustled as her pelt brushed against them. The apprentice stopped in her tracks, her heart stopping in fear that she had just alerted the prey, yet not a sound of fleeing was heard.

Hollypaw tilted her head, standing up, and walked farther into the clearing. She leaned to her side, trying to peak around the towering stone near the center, yet nothing was there. So to her disappointed, she turned to leave the empty clearing.

 _Clatter-clatter thump-thump-thump!_

She stopped, leg still extended to step forward, and became silent. The tabby swished around quickly, gazing suspiciously around the clearing, a small seed of fear and adrenaline planted in her throat.

 _Nothing's here,_ she tried to sooth herself, _perhaps there's a deer or something wander nearby-_

 _Clatter-clatter-clatter-clatter thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!_

Her pelt stood on end without her say so, and this time she spotted movement on the other side of the Fang-Rock. Her pulse was suddenly racing, her body tense as she couldn't help but imagine some sort of horrible beast waiting for her to step around the corner.

 _Probably hungry for a little apprentice to just wander closer and…_

"No!" she growled quietly to herself, "I'm too old for this- this _kit thinking_!" she swallowed in an attempt to loosen the knot in her chest, and Hollypaw crouched down, prowling closer and closer to what may be waiting for her.

"Who goes there!?" she cried out a little quieter than she meant to as she pounced hurriedly around the boulder.

A fresh flush of embarrassment and confusion rushed through her as she stood in, once again, an empty clearing. For a moment she contemplated that the cause of the sound had just moved around the rock, just avoiding her gaze- as if to taunt her.

"Amberpaw? Are you there? I swear to Starclan if this is a joke I'll put mouse dung in your nest!" her face scrunched up in frustration and she speedily rushed to the other side of the boulder, half expecting to see a tail whip to the side was just at or perhaps a muffled giggle.

 _Clatter-clatter…_

Hollypaw's ears perked as she heard the beginning of another round of sounds, and quick as a flash, she zoomed to the other side of the boulder.

"Who's th-!"

 _THUMP!_

" _Owie owie owwwie_!" she whimpered loudly as a large pebble landed atop her head.

Around her several other pebbles showered to the ground, each making a soft thudding sound as they hit the clearing floor. She held her head a moment before looking around.

 _Pebbles?_ It took her a moment to fit all the pieces together, _Pebbles…_ She quickly shot her head back to stare up the giant rock.

"Pebbles!"

With a sudden burst of adrenaline, she shot upwards, eyes glued to the small figure climbing their way up the slightly leaned stone monument. Hollypaw rushed to the other side as she spotted them haul themselves on top of the flat surface of the Fang-Rock, her heart pounding, confusion and astonishment fluttering in her head.

"Who the hell?" she spoke to herself hurriedly, staring up at the figure, their light colored fur aglow in the sunlight.

A sudden gust of wind made the cat atop the rock stumble, and for a moment of sheer terror Hollypaw thought they would fall. At that instant, she let out a yowl of fear and from all the way up the Fang-Rock the cat looked down after a moment hesitation.

"What do I do? What do I do?" Hollypaw was breathless before she decided she had to do _something._

And so she yelled.

"Are stupid?!" she yowled before hesitating and raising her voice, "Get down you- you idiot! I'm warning you- don't do anything stupid to f-fall! This isn't funny- at _all_! What were you thinking!? You could hurt yourself! Are you a mouse-brain!? I'll get a patrol- just- just stay there! I'll get you down!"

The cat above just looked back up, either only catching some of that or ignoring her- or both.

Hollypaw stared up at the cat for a few more moments- fear freezing her limbs. And right before she would have forced herself to turn around -go back to camp and somehow explain that a very _very_ stupid trespasser has climbed up the Fang-Rock and they could fall- something unexpected happened.

The cat jumped.

"Oh sweet Starclan oh my hell oh-" at this point she was just swearing loudly after she yowled in panic as the cat quickly plummeted towards the earth.

Her mind was barely functioning quickly enough to comprehend what happened next.

Before her eyes, she watched as the falling cat unfolded a pair of wide, tawny wings, and catching the next buffeting wind, shot up into the wide expanse of azure above.

Hollypaw just stared in astonishment, jaw slack and eyes wide. And within a few moments, just as the cat became a winged figure in the sky and soared below the cloud layer, it disappeared from view, catching the wind and soaring over the forest.

She blinked.

"W-wait!" she yowled out, not knowing what else to say.

And Hollypaw sat, her mind fizzing with thoughts and questions- confusing and puzzling and perplexing and-

She swallowed and was only able to say one thing.

"Wait- what?"


	30. 2: Chapter 6

**I've been gone. A long time. A lot has happened, but I'm better as a person for it. I've grown a lot, and, my viewers,- if any remain -I'm sure you have as well. But now, it is still time for our Dawnpaw to grow. She has a long journey ahead of her. I'm not giving up now. Neither is she.**

 **~No longer Ebonyfire, but Regen.**

* * *

Chapter 6:

Flying.

 _Flying_.

This was different, being up in the air so high, it was like a spell cast over Dawnpaw. She felt thrilled yet calm- it was dreamlike. The air was a strong current, and Dawnpaw was struggling every now and again to steady herself, but she felt no fear, only the exhilaration of knowing just how high she was and how fast. But as she soared above the world, becoming smaller and smaller as she rose, there was freedom, this strange sense of liberation. There she was, up in the sky, the entire valley at her paws.

It was incredible.

The feeling of the forceful winds around her, simply keeping her wings steady and letting the sky take her away. Other than the rushing sound in her ears as she glided on, it was silent, and colder yes, but oh so silent.

She took a breath.

The air seemed to run like cool water through her veins, her paws tingled, as did the tip of her tail. There was no up, no down, when she closed her eyes. There was no world, only this feeling, this glorious, indescribable feeling of liberty. Every breeze, every rush of the wind, sunk through her and cut her to pieces, until she felt herself floating off into the sky like petals. A cry of joy escaped her lips and she sang her praises to the sky- and in response she felt the sky sing back.

Time seemed to melt away, she just road the drafts that carried her along, at the mercy of them. Dawnpaw didn't care, she let her trust scatter to the winds and her eyes howled the joyous phrase of " _keep it._ "

But suddenly, a cold reality washed over her blissful haze, as she took in another breath but- there was no breath there. Dawnpaw's eyes stretched wide. The ground, so far below, was blurred, unrecognizable- and her breath was not there.

 _I've flown too high,_ the thought suddenly hit her, _I cannot breath because I've flown too high, I'm too close to Starclan and they're taking away my breath._

The adrenaline in her veins seemed to go sour, suddenly the euphoria slipped between her paws and drifted down to the ever reaching earth below.

Now the wind was frightening, Dawnpaw struggled to fight against it as she desperately tried to loose altitude. She pounded her tawny wings tirelessly, gulping in what air she could swallow in panicked gasps. It felt like swimming upstream of a violent river, as the golden colored apprentice tried with all her might not to get pulled into the updraft into the icy, airless skies.

Suddenly, the wind shifted, taking the young she-cat off guard, and a wall of icy cold force rammed into her side. A terrified screech ripped out of her throat as her wings collapsed to her side and she went flailing downwards toward the swallowing mouth of the earth. Everything spun around her, earth and sky alike, the sun a spot of light in the corner of her eyes.

Her muscles burned and screamed in pain as she pushed against the force around her, trying desperately to steady herself. Suddenly a voice started to chant, echoing around her mind as she plummeted to the ground.

 _You're going to die, you're going to die,_ tears leaks through her eyes, screwed tightly shut in terror, _I'm going to die, I'm going to_ _ **die**_ _._

All Dawnpaw could do was let out a wordless, broken cry, as she plummeted rapidly downwards. Her voice cracked gently with a soft agony, but she could not hear herself call out.

 _I'm sorry,_ she pleaded.

 _I'm so sorry, Rosetail. Please forgive me._

Dawnpaw then tensed her body, holding her breath tightly.

 _I'll see you soon._

The image of her mother painted over her vision with almost a force. Her crimson eyes filled with warmth and love, soft silky fur blowing gently in a breeze of early spring. Rosetail's expression was kind and welcoming, her smile moving, _beckoning_.

But her heart refused.

And her wings stretched open.

With a blast of force she shot upwards, pain tearing through her shoulders and the joints of her wings, making her howl with pain- but she forced her eyes open, and kept her wings wide.

Things jolted around crazily, but Dawnpaw tried with every last bit of energy to steady herself. She focused through the pain as much as she could possibly, and realized that she was slowing very quickly. But the earth was reaching up faster and faster.

Soon she knew she was slow enough to start to fly, but to her horror her wings jolted but did not flap. She yowled with panic as spikes of pain shot through her as her own limbs disobeyed. She couldn't think, only fear and confusion flooded her mind.

 _Green._ _ **Green.**_ _And yellow. And blue._

What did it mean?

In her panicked state she did not know- until she felt the sharp fingers of the tree's branches scrape her and break her fall before she plummeted into the depths of the water.


End file.
